ED SHAMWANA- MAKER-IN-RESIDENT FOR THE TIME CAPSULE PROJECT
Ed at the Building Crafts College (BCC) in Stratford
We are pleased to announce Ed Shamwana as our Maker-in-Residence for the Time Capsule Project at Alice Billing House!
Ed has been selected to design and create the Time Capsule. As part of his residency, he will also lead a public workshop next year.
About the Time Capsule
In 2024, the South Block was restored and reopened as home to eleven artist studios. In 2026, the Grade II-listed North Block will be transformed into additional creative workspaces.
To mark this significant moment of transformation, we are launching the Time Capsule Project, an ambitious, artist-led initiative that invites the local community to reflect on what heritage means today and how we wish to be remembered 100 years from now. The capsule will be sealed in 2026 and opened in 2106, exactly two centuries after the building’s original construction.
The Time Capsule itself will be a commissioned, handcrafted object, potentially embedded into the floor or wall of the new Community Pavilion and marked with a plaque. We are also exploring the possibility of including a glass viewing panel, allowing the capsule to remain visible as a permanent, conversation-starting feature of the building.
A public ceremony in 2026 will mark the capsule’s entombment, coinciding with the reopening of the North Block. This will be a celebratory moment for the local community and an opportunity to raise the profile of Alice Billing House as a growing hub for creativity, culture and connection in Newham.
The Time Capsule Project offers a rare opportunity to reflect, record and reimagine, connecting past, present and future in one extraordinary act of collective storytelling.
About Ed Shamwana
After a 40-year career as an IT consultant, Ed decided it was finally time to do more than just dabble in the joys of woodworking. There had been plenty of false starts along the way, with courses in timber frame making, wood carving, table making, and whittling filling many enjoyable weekends, but it was time for something more substantial.
This led Ed to the Building Crafts College (BCC) in 2022, undertaking a year-long course to qualify as a bench joiner. It proved to be a truly rewarding experience, with much learned from the college’s knowledgeable and experienced tutors. It turns out they had been holding the correct end of the hammer all along.
The BCC has long been committed to supporting woodworkers, including through its Maker in Residence programme, which offers selected graduates access to bench space throughout the academic year as they transition from study to a professional career.
Ed was delighted to be awarded a place for the 2024 academic year, a role that has since developed into becoming a teaching assistant for the new intake of 16–18-year-old bench joiners for the 2025 academic year. The journey has truly come full circle.
About this residency, Ed says:
“The time capsule project will be a chance to showcase both traditional and contemporary skills with old and new materials. An exciting new design that includes materials that were part of the original Alice Billing House.”
The Building Crafts College
The Building Crafts College has a long tradition of delivering high-quality education and training in building crafts and building conservation.
The student population of the College is diverse, with a wide range of ages and backgrounds. The courses also span a great range of opportunities. The emphasis of their work is to allow all of students to reach their full potential. There is a constant focus on delivering skills and producing work of high quality, whether they are full-time students, apprentices or degree students.
The Time Capsule Project Collaboration
There is a natural synergy between the Building Crafts College and Alice Billing House, both located in Stratford and dedicated to supporting and developing local artisans. The Time Capsule Project provides an exciting opportunity to demonstrate how local organisations can collaborate to nurture creativity and skill, combining resources, expertise, and community engagement. By working together, these institutions not only showcase the talent and innovation within the area but also create a model for how partnerships can strengthen the cultural and creative landscape of Newham, inspiring future initiatives and fostering a sense of shared purpose.