Matt Pierce has been a builder and tinkerer for as long as he can remember. This curiosity – to see how things work, take them apart, customize and create new things – led him to start Wood&Faulk, a blog about projects and DIY. He tells us more here…

Wood&Faulk represent well-made, classic lifestyle items with the familiarity of objects your grandparents might have carried. Taking inspiration from the old and the new, the classics and the future classics, Wood&Faulk make items that are built to last with timeless Americana style.

Wood&Faulk started as a simple blog by Matt Pierce in 2010.  It began as a place to document projects, ideas and DIY. Derived from project experiments on the blog and items used in the workshop, Wood&Faulk has developed into a little company known for bags, belts, accessories and other objects inspired by its Oregon home and its Kansas roots.

“The quintessential Wood&Faulk project has to be the Official Campstool. It was first produced as a DIY project, and turned into a more refined piece for customers and friends.” says Pierce. “Have you seen modern-day camp stools? Your grandpa would be ashamed to see you using one!”

Another such project is the Wood&Faulk belts. They were originally created as a project on the blog about how leather wears-in according to the way the user wears it. More and more people requested them, and they were later introduced as a regular store item.

Matt Pierce was born and raised in the Midwestern state of Kansas. He grew up learning auto mechanics, carpentry, plumbing and welding from his family and friends and has continued to build things his entire life. All of these trades came together when he was living in and working on refinishing his own houses in Kansas. The origin of the name Wood&Faulk harkens to streets in his old neighborhood – Woodrow Ave. and Faulkner Street. After selling the Woodrow Ave. home, he moved to the Pacific Northwest, where he found an excellent community of DIY culture, building, making and design that continues to inspire.  Nowadays he spends his free-time refinishing a small 104 year-old house and a FJ62 Land Cruiser.

The majority of W&F products are made in the Beam&Anchor building, where my studio resides. We’re a little family with a painter, soap maker, treasure hunters, upholsters, cabinet and furniture makers, and a retail shop on the ground floor. It’s an amazing building that faces the Union Pacific train yard, under the Fremont bridge in Portland Oregon. The sound of trains, the tools roaring inside, some great music and the sun falling over the West Hills all make this place really amazing. I’m really fortunate to be in the building.

Find out more:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

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‘Where I Make’ invites readers behind the scenes of artists from many disciplines to share photographs and a little insight about where they create their masterpieces. See more from the series here.

Our third issue, which was out 16 April, celebrates something we feel especially strongly about – our home towns and habitats. Our home helps to define who we are; it’s the centre of our world. More than just where we lay our heads at night, home is where we feel safe, and is a place that – to a certain extent, at least – can offer us happiness. When comfort and peace is found in our environment, it provides the perfect conditions to make and create.

Encouraging interaction as a whole, the magazine’s publishing house – The Flamingo Arts Project – encompasses a diverse range of projects including art curation, workshops and publishing. This gives us a chance to get away from our computer screens and get into the real world, which is nice.

Visit Flamingo here.
Find the on Facebook here.
Follow them on Twitter here.

FutureEverything is an annual festival of art, music and ideas hosted in Manchester, UK. Listed as one of the ten best ideas festivals in the world by The Guardian, and ranked as a must see by Resident Advisor, the festival is held over four days at venues across the city and includes a conference at MOSI Museum of Science and Industry.

We scan the horizon of art, innovation, society and the environment to create a two-day conference of international speakers with the latest thinking on the hottest topics. The art exhibition pushes the boundaries of contemporary digital art from international platforms alongside a digital craft fair at Victoria Baths. And continuing the festival into the night, the music strand is a celebration of sonic pioneers, from the best emerging talent to established musicians who continue to innovate and inspire.

FutureEverything 2012 takes place Wed 16–Sat 19 May 2012 in Manchester city centre. It features 52 artists, 45 musicians and 70 speakers across 11 venues over three main days with exhibitions and partner events extending over 3 weeks.

FutureEverything Art

The FutureEverything Art Exhibition, FutureEverybody, is hosted at the MOSI 1830 Warehouse between 16 May-10 June, with participatory art happening across Manchester 16-19 May. Over 18 international and UK artists will exhibit work from the cutting edge of sculpture, video and new media art.

Highlights include – immersive theatre group Blast Theory premiere a new work ‘I’d Hide You’, a game that connects virtual worlds, video streaming and performers on the streets of Manchester; ceramicist Lawrence Epps & Sykey Collective distribute 8000 handmade little clay men into secret city locations for commuters to use in online artworks; and Ollie Palmer displays the world’s first ballet to feature computer controlled ants.

Admission is free, the exhibition preview takes place on Weds 16 May.

Handmade at Victoria Baths

Handmade is a digital DIY craft fair hosted at the recently restored Manchester heritage site, Victoria Baths. This exciting event includes a craft fair, talks, events, Fab* Manchester, Victoria Baths Fanzine Convention, and a vegan cafe. Collaborators include Manchester Craft and Design Centre, Manchester FabLab, Salford Zine Library and an array of jewellers, ceramicists and sculptors. Handmade is hosted on Saturday 19 May. Admission is £2 and free to conference ticket holders.

FutureEverything Music

In collaboration with venues and promoters including Salford’s Islington Mill & St Phillip’s Church, Instituto Cervantes, RNCM, Manchester Cathedral, Contact, Quay House Spinningfields and Manchester Academy – FutureEverything hosts live music and DJ/Club events across Manchester between 16-20 May 2012.
Confirmed music acts include Amon Tobin ISAM (Live), Matthew Herbert One Pig, Dieter Moebius, Polinski, Tim Hecker, Forest Swords, The Haxan Cloak, DJ Cheeba, Alt J, Shabazz Palaces, John Talabot, Falty DL, Deadbeat, Andy Stott, No Ceremony, Money, Marcel Dettmann, and Holy Other. Tickets can be purchased via our music website pages.

FutureEverything Conference

The FutureEverything Conference, panels and workshops will be hosted at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester on Thurs 17 & Fri 18 May. Confirmed speakers include Birgitta Jonsdottir, Bilal Randeree (Al Jazeera), Cesar A. Hidalgo,  Carlo Ratti, Rohan Gunatillake, Dr. Ian Brown, Loz Kaye, Sanaz Raji, Moritz Stefaner, Juha van’t Zelfde, and Andy Miah.

Festival Locations

FutureEverything 2012 offers a festival footprint around MOSI and the city centre. Our venues have been carefully chosen to allow a natural progression from daytime event to evening show to late night events. We will be re-using venues across each night, to allow a festival ‘feel’ and will combine large scale venues (Manchester Academy and RNCM) with smaller, underground venues such as Islington Mill, St Philip’s Church and Quay House, Spinningfields. A free bus is available on Saturday when events take place at Victoria Baths and MediaCityUK.

Download brochure and timetables here.
Buy tickets here.

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See more festivals we’ve featured here.