Casting London
Casting your own piece of London before your eyes, young Londoners pedal-manufacture souvenirs bringing micro-factories back to the city.
Casting London is a project which redefines the line between mass manufacturing and craft by providing on-demand, at-site micro-manufacturing for souvenirs. The small pewter mementos evoke memory by capturing the essence of the location and theatre of making.
The tricycle-powered mobile units are located near London landmarks and create objects for tourists in small batch productions . They are operated by british young people and allow precision and detail, while maintaing the human connection.
The project is a direct reaction to 91% of souvenirs sold during the London Olympics being manufactured outside the UK. The mass-produced globalised souvenir presents an inherent conflict to the increasingly self-aware consumer. While the desire for shiny machine-made objects remains relevant even in the digital age - tourists are increasingly conscious about the carbon footprints of souvenirs available in London. Casting London provides a new alternative to unseen mass production of emotive objects.
Group project with Shruti Grover, Peter Codling and Nayoung Kim.