ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author discusses the different kinds of making that have been involved in Moonraking since its inception, particularly focusing upon the crafting of the lanterns by local participants and artists. In the West Yorkshire mill town of Slaithwaite, on the evening of 21 February 2015, a large, illuminated paper lantern forged into the shape of a moon was hauled out of the canal by an adjacent crane. The affordances of the lanterns, light in weight and safe, encouraged the staging of a parade in which they could be carried and displayed. Such lanterns could be constructed without a great deal of expertise or prior knowledge but could also be fashioned into innovative, artistic forms. In staging workshops and festivals in schools, housing estates and workplaces, a collaborative politics of creativity was prioritised, nurturing a sense of ownership and recognition.
