Made in 24hrs was an attempt to demonstrate what can be created in one day of production. In September 2008 we brought together 50 artists and designers from different disciplines under one roof to design and make to our brief throughout a 24hr period. The project set out to highlight the process of thinking, playing, and talking between different people from different disciplines and backgrounds. As opposed to simply presenting the outcomes of the project the entire life cycle of the work done during the 24hrs was shown, both in the making of the objects displayed, and various filmic illustrations of the process.
Deptford as a playground of possibility
“Finally, there came a time when everything that men had considered as inalienable became an object of exchange, of traffic and could be alienated. This is the time when the very things which till then had been communicated, but never exchanged; given, but never sold; acquired, but never bought—virtue, love, conviction, knowledge, conscience, etc.—when everything, in short, passed into commerce.”
Karl Marx (Marx 1955: 30)
Deptford is a place of changing culture and activity. For 24hrs we have set out to explore, play and design objects, experiences and activities that highlight and react to this rapidly shifting environment.
We began at 7:30 am by exploring the things around us (including the market), attempting to form stories and ideas about the experiences, lives and people of Deptford. Collected objects formed the basis for mapping origins and possibilities, where they have been, what they have done, and where they may find themselves in the future.
The aim of this project was to immerse ourselves in the diverse and shifting communities surrounding Deptford in order to produce work. Collaboration through discussion, design and production was encouraged through a series of organised activities intended to punctuate, motivate, and provoke.
The end of the 24hr experiment has resulted in a document of the process, as well as having produced a series of designed artifacts. All of our experiences have been captured and expressed in the things that we produce.
“The scene is set, the playground open: unknown territory, unknown features, unknown futures. Maybe…”
(R.A.D, No. 97, 1991)