Claire Tymon — Director
Claire Tymon is a creative entrepreneur who initiates and delivers creative urban projects, embedding co-design and participation at the heart of her practice. She introduces an extensive network of community groups, creative practitioners, policy makers and local organisations to makers, artists and students and works directly with them to creatively engage in urban processes and project development. Claire is currently researching the role of the maker (and shaker!) in place-making at Sheffield School of Architecture, and supports the Place Alliance Urban Room Network.
claire@placeshakers.co.uk / 07713 255747

Matthew Pilling — Director
Matthew is a designer, a maker and an educator. He is passionate about Urban and Eco-effective Design, and the role that technology plays in their development. He is a trained architect and is able to deliver anything from large scale master-plans, down to small scale intimate spaces. He utilises both traditional and digital design and fabrication techniques, and is a proponent of testing through making. Matthew is an Associate Lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture, and is also researching the future of digital fabrication at Lancaster University.
matt@placeshakers.co.uk / 07970 608637

Rachel Gilkes — Director
Rachel is an educator and became a fellow of the School for Social Entrepreneurs with her project ‘Chutney for Change’. Rachel’s interest in creative led regeneration and social capital was explored within her research evaluating the impact of creative-led regeneration project ‘Blackburn Is Open’. Rachel initiated ‘Food Lab’, a concept to support start-up enterprises through food-orientated events including live crowdfunding events ‘Fabricate’ and ‘Hallouminate’, and The Big Lunch and Disco Soup Blackburn. Rachel currently teaches with educational charity, Back on Track Manchester, and manages their social enterprise development programme.
rachel@placeshakers.co.uk / 07713 260024

Franziska Hatton — Associate / Designer
Franziska is a designer and maker, working in the field of Speculative and Critical Design. The aim of Franziska's work is to ignite discussion and debate about the choices that we make as a society, highlighting potential changes to the status quo and providing critical reflection on our current trajectory. Taking factual conditions and theoretical concepts to fabricate scenarios and pieces that tap into current issues. Franziska’s installations create an experience for an audience to question the world around them, using both traditional and modern methods of making.
franziska.hatton@gmail.com / www.franziskahatton.com

Richard Tymon — Associate / Photographer
Richard is a freelance photographer who embraces a creative and collaborative approach, whilst producing images that meet the client's brief. Richard self-initiates multi-media documentary projects inspired by change in the built environment and community representation. Richard’s photographic portfolio also encompasses genres including Events, Portraits, Architecture, and Product Shots. His clients include NHS, Manchester International Festival, Hemingway Design, Labour Party, Magnetic Media, and University of Manchester. Richard’s work has featured in the New York Times, BBC, Design Week, GQ and the Guardian.
richardtymon1@gmail.com / www.richardtymon.com