Making Matters

Exhibition and Making Workshops, 2026

I was accepted as a Council Member for the Manchester Society of Architects at the start of 2026 and Making Matters was the first project that I worked on. The project had started the previous year as an exhibition of architectural models at the Venice Biennale, bringing together the Architects Index of Modelmaking (AIM) and the European Cultural Centre (ECC).

Following on from the success of the Venice exhibition, a much bigger showcase was planned for Manchester, in collaboration with the Manchester Society of Architects and hosted at Material Source in the City Centre. The new exhibition and programme of events explored the continuing role of physical models within architectural practice and displayed models made by architects and modelmakers, with lectures, workshops and panels which discussed how physical making can be used to communicate, test and develop architectural ideas. 

My personal focus was on the physical making workshops which worked alongside the exhibition to give architects (and future architects) hands-on experiences of new materials and methods. These included a casting workshop with artist and modelmaker Maz Weineck, a three-part clay workshop developed in collaboration with Clay Studio in Stretford and a careers day which brought together five local schools for a day of making and discussion. 

The final part of Making Matters was a round table event which asked the question; What is the role of modelmaking in an increasingly digital world? I was flattered to be included as one of twelve contributors, invited to provide some insight into how making can be used in educational and community projects. The full article on the round table can be found here: https://www.materialsource.co.uk and was summarised by editor Laura Connolly as being about “keeping architecture human, collaborative, and hands-on, even as our screens get increasingly smarter.”