A maker space that activates the human-nature connection
Celebrating learning and connecting
Joyden Nature Maker Studio is a vibrant eco studio where we celebrate the love of nature and making. We value…
- Nature’s diversity, beauty, and inherent creativity
- Community, interdependence, and connection
- Creative approaches to restoring and honouring nature
- Compassion and humility
Re-centring in a tech-driven world
Makerspaces historically have unique names based on the purpose and location of the space – fab labs, hackerspaces, tech shops, etc. As current iterations of the maker world and everyday life are becoming increasingly driven by the use of AI, so is the disconnect from the physical (natural) world – this despite the maker approach being rooted in educational research and theories (that go back decades), all of which emphasise the importance of ‘nature’ and humans’ tangible relation to it. This raises the following questions:
- How do we reconnect youth with their physical environments in an increasingly disconnected world?
- How do we foster the habits of mind in youth to be discerning human makers?
Returning to our roots while embracing the opportunities of tech advancements is a step towards addressing these needs and nature is the best teacher.
At our nature-centred studio, we invite youth to grow the future and shape their world. They expand their understanding and ability to solve complex problems through creating cross-disciplinary collaborations between art, design, and science at developmentally-appropriate levels.
Cultivating creativity
The Nature Maker Studio’s hands-on approach to learning empowers students to investigate ethical and sustainable modes of making, informed by natural systems that are designed to benefit the environment.
Growing curiosity and a willingness to explore and take risks are some of the fundamentals in fostering creative development. Our work at the Nature Maker Studio reflects our belief that products give us temporary satisfaction; however, a playful multidisciplinary process results in a life-long willingness to explore ideas outside the box of conventional learning.
Think and make in a new way
At Joyden Natue Maker Studio, we believe that:
- Hands-on learning and making allow us to connect different disciplines and systems to create a more complex, integrated understanding of the world
- Play and playfulness allow us to make meaning at the intersection of making, the environment, and social systems
- Collaborative learning increases problem-solving and teamwork skills and improves our tolerance of the unknown
BIOMIMICRY
Biomimicry is a practice that learns from and mimics the strategies found in nature to solve human design challenges.
Biomimicry is about valuing nature for what we can learn, not what we can extract, harvest, or domesticate. In the process, we learn about ourselves, our purpose, and our connection to each other and our home on earth.
DESIGN THINKING & PRODUCT DESIGN
Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.
Product design is using design thinking to develop a useful product that meets a customer’s needs in the form of a product.
BIOMATERIALS
BIOMATERIALS
The term biomaterials is used to describe materials derived from living matter including plants, animals and fungi.
Plant-based materials, which we mostly focus on, are becoming increasingly popular among designers due to their environmental performance. This is because they offer cruelty-free production, are usually biodegradable and store CO2 during their useful lifetime, thereby lowering the embodied carbon footprint of products.
What makes the space unique
Eco cottage in the woods
Bright, calm and inspiring
Bright, calm and inspiring
Easily accessible, safe location surrounded by indigenous forest and a permaculture garden, overlooking the Hout Bay Valley.
Bright, calm and inspiring
Bright, calm and inspiring
Bright, calm and inspiring
The indoor studio workshop seats 10, with additional indoor and outdoor workspaces for bigger groups or messy learning.
Unique perspectives
Bright, calm and inspiring
Unique perspectives
Spaces that blend the inside and outside environments.
Kitchen lab
Art and maker supplies
Unique perspectives
The kitchen aka lab for growing microbial leather, cooking up bioplastics or making beautiful plant papers.
Extensive resources
Art and maker supplies
Art and maker supplies
Not everything you ever wanted to know lives online. Take some time to browse through the ecological design and natural science reference library.
Art and maker supplies
Art and maker supplies
Art and maker supplies
Extensive collection of art, craft and shop tools to bring your ideas to life
Curiosities
Natural surroundings
Material library
Every object tells a story.
Material library
Natural surroundings
Material library
Whether natural or man-made every material is testament to a process.
Natural surroundings
Natural surroundings
Natural surroundings
Every season brings changes and new opportunities for exploration.
Tech room
Looking forward to meeting you!
Natural surroundings
It's not about the tools - it's how and why they are used that matters.
Sharing ideas
Looking forward to meeting you!
Looking forward to meeting you!
Looking forward to meeting you!
Looking forward to meeting you!
Looking forward to meeting you!
Slow & fast making
Contact
We would love to learn how we can help you, your child, or your community grow.
37 Park Avenue, Hout Bay, Western Cape 7806, South Africa
