'THREE PORTRAITS OF SUBURBIA' UNVEILED AT SHEFFIELD SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

The Ecology Theory Forum at the University of Sheffield was a great success and we want to say a big thank you to our friends that gave us this opportunity to display our first exhibition!  Sarah and I are really excited about it and anyone who is interested in what we are doing, please get in touch.

THREE PORTRAITS OF SUBURBIA

'Three Portraits of Suburbia' was displayed at the School of Architecture, the University of Sheffield.  It was a chance for Sarah and I to consolidate our ideas and use this exhibition as the starting point of 'We Heart the Suburbs'.  Have a read through and leave any comments you may have or send us an email! weheartthesuburbs@gmail.com

THREE PORTRAITS OF SUBURBIA @ THE ECOLOGY THEORY FORUM, SHEFFIELD

We Heart the Suburbs will be in Sheffield with our introductory exhibition 'Three Portraits of Suburbia' on Fri 13th and Sat 14th November:

Depictions of suburbia in architectural discourse are overwhelmingly negative. The suburbs are considered within the context of scarcity of resources, speed and volume of consumption, the affect of urban sprawl and the concerns of individualism, painting a dismal and frightening picture. However, if the suburbs are to be realistically re-thought, it is essential that suburbanite’s motivations, concerns and aspirations are given adequate validity within the profession.

“Suburbia’s vociferous enemies fail to see that it is an essential ingredient of city life. Such critics are outnumbered many, many times by the millions for whom suburbia is a land of pleasantness, friendship and hope.”

Paul Barker ‘The Freedoms of Suburbia’

This study enters the psyche of three suburban women. Through following women of varying ages for one day, we uncover routines, interactions, idiosyncrasies and insight into the ‘everyday’ within the suburban environment. The portraits reflect upon both notions of individual and family needs, and also highlight collective values of the suburbanite’s choice of home.

‘Three Portraits of Suburbia’ represents an initial desire to understand suburbia and its inhabitants before deciding its fate.

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS POSTERS

A selection of places where the posters are:

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS QUESTIONNAIRE

If you haven’t already seen the ‘We ♥ the Suburbs’ team on your local street corner, why not send us your opinions, ideas and stories online? Simply check out the questionnaire below and email us your response to weheartthesuburbs@gmail.com 

We want to hear from YOU!

Introducing a new and improved questionnaire for any of you wanting to fill out online:

WHERE WE WILL BE IN SOUTHEND

Have you seen these posters around and wondered what they're about? We ♥ the Suburbs is a project that believes that there is a great potential in your local area. We think that while the suburbs have a lot to offer, they also leave a lot to be desired. Suburbia needs to adapt in response to contemporary issues like climate change, peak oil, ever-increasing populations and corporate take-over, like huge out-of-town Tescos and a Starbucks on every street corner. We believe that a better suburbia can be achieved through design that brings together people like you who care about where you live.

We’re looking for people who want to be involved in improving their community.  If you’re interested in the potential of your hometown and the suburbs, come along to find out how you can get involved or to tell us your ideas and stories:

Sunday 1st November

12pm – 6pm - Beach Hut 529 along the Promenade by Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Monday 2nd November

11am – 2pm – Thorpe Bay Broadway.

3pm – 4pm – Bournes Green School, Ladram Road.

6pm – 7pm – Thorpe Bay Station (platform returning from London).

INTRODUCING THE SUBURBS

We are exploring and researching the much overlooked subject of suburbia as a site for change.  With the national census stating that 86% of the population live in a suburban environment; it is time to explore the relationships between the suburbanites and their home environment.  On a personal level, the 20th century suburbs have been our hometowns for the first 18 years of our lives and we believe they have great potential.  However there is a need for suburbia to evolve, progress and diversify in the face of contemporary issues and we believe that this is only possible through local interaction and increased consciousness of the suburban environment.