The Shed Augustenborg
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
The Shed was formed in Malmö, Sweden, in the summer of 2020. When the Covid Crisis hit, we were curious about the positive side-effects of the turmoil. We turned the tables around and built an all-inclusive space that could be an outlet for anyone to create something both meaningful and also meaningless. A place where the imagination runs wild and new realities are shaped. Today, The Shed hosts creative explorations, both in the virtual and physical world.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
The Shed Augustenborg in Malmö creates an inclusive platform for community members of all ages. Founded in a troubled area turned eco-district, The Shed aims to empower and uplift the local neighborhood by giving value to their ideas.
We started with an empty space, and listened to the needs of locals to develop a concept around it. Now, it all revolves around a physical shop with a fully upcycled and modular interior. Old doors were turned into work benches, materials and tools decorate the walls and a closet serves as a virtual meeting room.
The Shed is a co-working space during daytime and a creative space after-hours. It empowers craftsmanship, ideation, social entrepreneurship and skill-& knowledge sharing. It is designed to host workshops and events for people of all ages and backgrounds to explore their curiosity. In the midst of the pandemic, the current outreach of The Shed is still limited but this project will help to fill it with life.
The virtual platform of The Shed is an online shop for local products. It piloted as a virtual christmas market and now serves a stepping stone for creatives that haven't been driving any online sales yet. By joining many makers under one domain, we give crafters, artists and small brands the opportunity to test the market. The shop is about highlighting local creatives and sharing the stories of the people and processes behind the items.
All our activities in the physical and virtual space are guided by a set of core values. The Shed is a seedbed for ideas that empowers, sparks creativity and promotes social inclusion.
Key objectives for sustainability
Our key objective is to bring people together in a district that has faced social challenges and is now being turned into a sustainable success story. The area is being re-designed by the Municipality of Malmö and the public housing company MKB – and we want to play a part in making sure no one is left behind in the process.
Opposed to other dense and commercial parts of Malmö, Augustenborg is an incomplete canvas. We want to support its development through the following activities:
Workshops that teach and empower
Hosted by and for people from the neighborhood – no matter if it’s local knitters or electronics tinkerers, we offer space to people who want to share their passion or explore their creativity.
As a second pillar, we want to run workshops that can provide opportunities and foster inclusion. These can be coding sessions for kids, digital education classes for senior residents or upcycling workshops for anyone who wants to give a second life to their stuff.
A virtual platform and online shop that empowers
We want to give local crafters the chance to sell their creations and make them see the value of it. Socks that were knit by the old lady next door, upcycled earrings and clothes, handmade ceramics – every product has a story and becomes more valuable when this story is shared.
It is common for people with lower incomes to think they can’t afford sustainable products, whilst they are actually living more sustainably by consuming less. We want to encourage conscious consumption and highlight the value in repurposed goods and hand-made creations. By lowering the barrier to sell something in a professionally designed online shop, we foster sustainable lifestyles whilst sparking creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Workshops
We are already capable of hosting workshops at The Shed, and we have successfully held workshops in learning programming, electronics, arts & crafts and other theoretical topics. Our main obstacle has been the restrictions and guidelines regarding the Covid-19 situation, but we are aiming to resume and accelerate the intensity of workshops during and after the summer when restrictions are lifted.
In order to host workshops, we need experienced people. The Shed’s network consists of experienced designers, teachers, developers, sustainability consultants and other professions, all wishing to share their knowledge. Already, we have a plan of a rolling schedule of at least 1-2 workshops a week, with the intention of increasing these to an almost daily activity. We have already seen success in running concurrent workshops over several weeks, with very positive reviews from the attendees.
Online store / social platforms
We currently have a modern website, presence on social media platform and an online store. Our social media will be used to promote events such as workshops, and offerings on the store. Our goal is to reach out to the locals, and we will put emphasis on getting people to follow us on social media so that they are notified of what is happening at The Shed.
We intend to help anyone who wants to place their goods in the store with text descriptions, photographs and channel payments, and help out with sending shipments.
Community
Bringing people together will mainly be achieved through our workshops, and participating in events in the area. We are in contact with a few other non-profit organisations that we aim to collaborate with. Some planned community activities are:
- “Technology 101” workshops with elderly people to learn how to use technology to e.g. pay online or using the Internet.
- Intro programming/electronics workshops for children in the area.
Key objectives for inclusion
One of the Shed’s main objectives is creating a devoted community in Augustenborg. We are at the moment in a collaborative and supportive spirit with the other store fronts at the square, but we aim to extend and increase our interaction with the local population.
The older generation in the area is incredibly invested in the area, and we are aiming to collaborate and partake in voluntary activities that can contribute to making the area a great place to be. This includes activities such as maintaining the vegetation in the area, keeping the square clean and helping to organise events that are free for everyone to attend.
Another focal point we have is to be the spark of creativity in the area. The Shed right now offers a friendly environment with tools ranging from sewing machines, paint brushes, canvases, electronics and a set of tools that is more than enough for having creative workshops. Particular interest for creativity has been shown from members of the older generation, who we believe have incredible talent that the younger generation can also benefit from.
In addition to this, the majority of us running The Shed come from an educational background, with practical experience from working with children in areas that have higher unemployment and crime rates. We believe that through our combined set of skills we can offer a large variety of learn-by-play style workshops, where we can invite, and hopefully inspire and empower, children from the area.
We hope that through these different items have a positive impact on the area of Augustenborg, and that everyone who lives here can feel part of its community.
Innovative character
The Shed puts itself high on the pedestal of innovation as we are a space that during the day functions as a co-working space and during the night as a creative space. These two main functions are not often combined in one space, and particularly not in one that has a total area of 35 square meters. This has created a very personal atmosphere between people, as our circulation of co-workers is not large. We also are wholeheartedly committed to a flat hierarchy which puts the people running the space at the same level as the people using the space.
The combination of work and creativity is really what makes us unique. Our space is a very cozy hangout spot, as much as it is a serious work space. The interior is mainly upcycled projects, tools on the wall, drawings and paintings made by our members and a bunch of plants that make the space very personal. It is definitely not, just an office.
It has the tools necessary to get creative in many different directions, and being creative is fundamental to us.
As a non-profit organisation, we are not placing economic growth as our number one target. This means we make it accessible for people with limited funds to work and have a creative outlet at very low rates.
Apart from its day to day activities, we are also working on opening an online store for local artists / craftsmen. It is our idea to collect people under one domain to have a much larger impact than the single one. Our focus on supporting local creativity is large, and we have already helped promote several artist's creations, and this is something that we intend to continue with.
