How To Make
BBC FOUR (2020)
In this three-part series, Zoe dissects three classic everyday items, to reveal the craft, designs dn engineering that lies behind the things we take for granted. Along the way, to truly understand how form, function and materials come together, she builds her own bespoke versions, step by step!
Episode 1: The Trainer
In episode one, Zoe takes on the trainer - jewellery for the feed and a marvel of engineering. Setting out in search of inspiration, she meets some of the UK's leading trainer designers and manufacturers, as well as the young inventors working on mind-blowing new sustainable materials such as matter made by bacteria and self-deodorising fabrics. She goes behind the scenes at Britain's largest footwear factory, where high-speed injection moulding processes turn out a shoe every 9 seconds and meets one of the country's pre-eminent trainer historians Thomas Turner, to find out how our favourite everyday footwear would be nothing without car tyres. All before building her own unique pair.
Episode 2: The Toothbrush
In this episode, Zoe explores an item so ubiquitous, most of us don’t give it a moment’s thought, the toothbrush. With 200 million thrown away each year in the UK alone, she’s on a mission to find a sustainable solution. In search of inspiration she heads to a low-impact mega factory in Sweeden, where handles are made from sugarcane bio-based plastic. She dips into the archives of the British Dental Association to look at the origins of the toothbrush and explores bespoke production techniques employing 3D laser sintering to see what the future might hold. Turning her attention to the partner in crime of the toothbrush, the toothpaste, Zoe investigates a special bio-active glass that has been invented to deliver a longer lasting dose of fluoride and the taste sensations in the development labs of Lush. All before revealing her final Toothbrush and alternative 'paste' which are uniquely Zoe and just 'a bit bonkers', but could provide a very real eco-friendly answer to our daily brushing needs.
Episode 3: The Headphones
In this episode, Zoe explores an item that is extraordinarily intimate and transports us to other worlds – headphones. In search of inspiration, she heads to Hull University to discover an exciting new substance that can turn any surface into a speaker, from a wall or table to the bone of your skull. In the depths of an anechoic chamber, she experiences the wonder of directional sound and ear-tracking technology, which creates a personal sound bubble without the need to wear headphones at all. A trip back through headphone history reveals the stethoscope-style contraptions of the 19th century and the game-changing 80s Sony Walkman. Zoe also heads to high-end manufacturers Bowers & Wilkins, climbs into a mock aircraft cabin to explore the principles of noise cancellation, and goes on an unusual trip down one of London’s busiest streets, all in the name of materials research. Her final headphones raise the bar high, with a distinctive headband to avoid big hair issues, alongside characterful Plasti Dip connections.
More information on the series and supporting educational material can be found on the BBC and Open University websites.
This 3 x 60 minute documentary series was first broadcast at 8pm on Thursday the 2nd, 9th and 16th of April 2020.
