Under 25’s Spring 2023

Makerversity has always offered 20% of all memberships for free, as part of our residency programmes – Under 25’s and Makers with a Mission.

Here we take a look at the latest cohort and their projects, all joining Makerversity for 3 months free membership and support.

Kavya Jain – Sensei

Kavya is the founder of Sensei, which creates safe, inclusive and accessible public spacesfor visually impaired people. She has a background in product design, with her practices focusing on social and inclusive design.

More than 2M people in the U.K. live with vision impairment, and 360,000 are registered as entirely blind. Due to a lack of visual feedback, everyday activity like navigating homes, schools, workspaces or exploring new places like museums, shopping centres etc., is challenging.

‘At Sensei, we are tackling the need for more inclusivity that visually impaired people regularly face due to inaccessible spaces. We have designed a range of tactile wayfinding surfaces where each tactile surface depicts a particular room in an interior space providing tactile feedback to visually impaired people. These are low-tech, easy to install and can quickly modify any area into an inclusive and accessible environment. We are currently working with the guide dogs for the blind association to make schools across the U.K. more inclusive and accessible for visually impaired students to learn and thrive in.’

Make sure to follow Sensei for their new range launch here.

Omotunwase Osinaike

Omotunwase Osinaike is an interdisciplinary designer with experience working in real estate development and project management. He has a background in Architectural Engineering & Design Management which informs his willingness to work across disciplines. His passion lies in a clear intention to learn about his heritage and actively work in furtherance and advancement of it. He is particularly interested in the meaning and depth embedded within several artefacts in Africa and the various social, metaphysical and ritual functions they served. He seeks to employ this approach and by so doing create works that serve as deeply meaningful insignias. He incorporates local artisanal competencies and material resources to create works that have a strong sense of place. He considers his practice as a vessel to foster interconnectivity between different communities and cultural exchange through making.

Find out more about Omotunwase’s practice and portfolio of work here.

Luke Caplowe

Luke is a multidisciplinary designer that tries to blur the lines between fine art sculpture and product design. Using both conceptual ideas, hands-on construction and 3D digital building, Luke merges the two together to change conceptions of precise design and arbitrary sculpting. His projects are often initiated by reflecting necessities within existing objects and how they can alter their shape and / or form to react differently in various settings. Luke’s practice could be described as playful sculpture; objects that can perform and settle in different environments.

‘I try to find the predictability in life and incorporate some fun to express my speculation of distinctive control. The mundane everyday presents pathways of habit or repetition, I try to promote the freedom of individual regulation.’

During his 3 months residency at Makerversity Luke is looking to use the facilities to explore his current practice, learning 3D printing and advancing his woodworking skills to develop his ideas further.

Check out Luke’s portfolio of work here.

Gbolade Oludare

Gbloade is motivated by creating tools and objects,  living in hopes of enhancing the experience of being alive by making the world just a little bit more beautiful. He has worked with several design teams and studios, including but not limited to; Germans Ermičs, Tom Dixon, Peju Obasa, Reference Point – 180 The Strand, No Vacancy Inn and Nothing Tech.

“I believe in curiosity as a way of being and I feel the products and objects we have a relationship of use with, contribute a great deal to the experience of being alive.”

During his time at Makerversity he hopes to involve him self in and learn from the design community. Creating connections for collaborations and the space to make interesting objects.

Check out more of Gbloades work here

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