Key to ABOVE+BELOW LONDON and urbanremade.com are the professional services and project management expertise of Creatively Recycled Empire Ltd run by Caroline Read and Robert Taylor.
This team are knowledgeable in the UK recycling industry and offer 10 years experience of delivering innovative and practical projects, as well as supporting a not for profit company TRiP .
Robert Taylor gained a BA (Hons) degree in Graphic Design from Central Saint Martins in 1991 and subsequently pursued a career in design gaining valuable experience at NICE Studio, David James Associates and iD magazine.
Caroline Read previously enjoyed a career in film/video production, artist management, music and events management. For the past 2 years she has been responsible for organising the Love London Recycled Sculpture Show, launch pad & highlight event of the Love London Green Festival (the largest 'green festival' in the World).
Realising a shared dream to dedicate more time to environmental issues they formed Creatively Recycled Empire (CRE Ltd) in 1998.
TRiP was incorporated as a logical evolution of their CSR work in the transport sector, with ABOVE+BELOW LONDON serving as a public facing consumer brand.
In 1997 their interest and research into sustainable materials and eco building practices lead them to specify works on an eco-building project for SGI-UK; an internationally recognised non-governmental organisation which was short-listed for an ALG Greener Building Award.
In 1998 they diverted redundant Transport for London upholstery felt into sustainable housing projects - (an example of which is in the Horniman Museum, London). Again in collaboration with TfL and London Underground they researched advanced ‘end of vehicle life’ Tube carriage re-use for a British Waterways canal regeneration programme. It is hoped this exciting initiative will find future use in the Thames Gateway ,Canary Wharf and London 2012.
They conceived and undertook research that forms the basis of TRiP’s work on the re-use of waste seating fabric from over 50 London Underground Tube carriages. This has allowed them to forge partnerships within the transport industry and with other interested parties who have been catalysts for TRiP and the foundation for the ABOVE+BELOW LONDON project.
This experience has required them to oversee the development and production of official merchandise made from this waste stream for TfL. They displayed these recycled products at the GLA’s ‘Rewarding Recycling’ exhibition and at Portcullis House in support of MPs Sir George Yound and Joan Ruddock’s Kerbside Recycling Bill.
In Spring 2007, and in collaboration with iconic designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, ABOVE+BELOW LONDON footwear prototypes received a warm reception at the London College of Fashion “Is Green the New Black” exhibition .
The project was supported with business mentoring by London Remade, the Mayors’ agency for the development of London’s recycling infrastructure.
More recently, Robert and Caroline’s creativity, team building, project management, risk and trouble shooting skills have enabled them to win and fulfil contracts to supply eco-friendly merchandising for other major organisations, such as HSBC, The Environment Agency and AEG LIVE.
In 2009 the duo teamed up with the eminent artist Sir Peter Blake ('Godfather' of Pop Art ) in an innovative merchandising and arts venture to herald a zero waste future for London and celebrate a 'new culture of sustainability'.
"I LOVE LONDON" & "I LOVE RECYCLING": a personal declaration by the artist himself a keen recycler, was launched in late October at the National Recycling Awards 2009 at The Hilton Park Lane, London.
These new exclusive limited edition artworks by Sir Peter Blake are launched for the first time on recycled tin plate and are the 2nd collection of products to be offered via www.urbanremade.com.
In 2008 they were responsible for organising (and co-curating) the critically acclaimed eco-arts exhibition Love London Recycled Sculpture Show at London Zoo. The Show launched the Love London Festival in June 2009 at the WWT London Wetland Centre in Barnes and continues on til Spring 2010.
