King's College London

(Eco)vocative Objects: Things that engage with environmental issues emerged from the STEM: Making & Creating module on the MA in STEM Education at King’s College London, where we rethink the role of making in education in a time of social and ecological crisis. Challenging traditional maker narratives centred on production, this rethinking foregrounds socially just, environmentally responsible practices rooted in repair, reuse and care. From this module, an engaged and intergenerational community of educators, students, and alumni has grown, sharing ideas, experimenting with materials, and developing new approaches to inclusive, justice-oriented STEM education.

The inspiration for this volume draws on Sherry Turkle’s influential book Evocative Objects: Things We Think With (Turkle, 2007), which explores how everyday objects carry meaning, memory and insight. It is also inspired by and builds on the Heartwood books, which foreground creative, story-rich and critical engagements with environmental issues. Building on these roots, we invited members of our community to contribute essays that tell the story of a particular “(eco)vocative object” that they, or their learners, designed using STEM skills and principles to illustrate or communicate an aspect of the socio-ecological crisis.

The chapters in this volume have been brought together to reflect both the diversity of practices that have emerged within our community and the shared commitment to exploring how making can enable more thoughtful, critical and emotionally resonant engagements with environmental and social justice issues.

Funders

This publication and accompanying exhibition were generously supported by:

• King’s College London, Education for Sustainability Fund (2025)

• WIPRO STEM Education Funding (2025)

• King’s College London, School of Education, Communication & Society Research and Impact Fund (2026)