WE ARE BACK

Despite the lack of activity on our blog we have been busy with progressing the project. We have secured funding from the RIBA ICE Bursary, Knowledge Transfer Grant from the University of Sheffield, UnLtd and Awards for All (the Big Lottery) to support the project.

We never posted our findings of the interactive exhibition last May so I have done below. It has been designed as a fold up pamphlet- just click on the image below to open the document to get a closer look:

Open publication - Free publishing

Our evaluation gave us the information to create a brief for the next stage of the project. It clearly showed that the area is in need of creating a stronger central space that can offer activities and events for the community. Therefore with our next installment of funding we will be designing and building a pavilion for the month of August in Cluny Square.

We will be posting our designs and activities over the exciting and busy forthcoming months!

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS EXHIBITION

Thank you to everyone that came along to take part in our interactive exhibition in Cluny Square over the bank holiday weekend! We had over 100 visitors during the course of three days and have some fantastic feedback to continue with the We ♥ the Suburbs project- we'll publish the results in the very near future.

Here is a taster of what went on:

The exhibition outside Cluny Square cafe in between showers.

The model of the St. Luke's area for the community to map out their daily routines exposing how they interact with their environment.


The take away pamphlet giving the visitors information on the exhibition and the wider context of the project.


Visitors could cast their votes on what they would spend money on to benefit their local area.

Consultation on the streets when the sun was shining.

Visitors used the yellow stickers supplied to answer a series of questions in which they could see how they relate to the rest of the community. The answers will give us an idea of the local area which we'll use to further the project.

The kids used chalk pens to write on the window of the cafe what they want in their park.

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS ARTISTS COLLABORATION

Thank you to all the artists involved in the We ♥ the Suburbs exhibition.  Local artist, Jess Worley, held a workshop on Saturday giving local children to express their feelings about St. Luke's through drawing, textiles and jewellery.  The exercise was a great success!

Throughout the bank holiday weekend local artists Katrina Burtles, Kelly Donovan, Antoinette Goossens, and Rachel Nead  created a real presence for our exhibition in Cluny Square.  They used the idea of community celebration in conjunction with archival images found which really helped to engage local people.

 

WE HEART THE SUBURBS EXHIBITION

The much anticipated We Heart the Suburbs exhibition has finally arrived! Over this May Bank Holiday weekend we will be in Cluny Square, St. Luke's finding out about the local community. Come along to see the results!

OUR COMPETITION WINNERS

We have selected two fantastic ideas from a selection of very strong proposals to contribute to the We Heart the Suburbs exhibition in Cluny Square, St. Luke's! The winners are...

Jess Worley's workshop proposal that uses her experience as an artist specialising in textiles and jewellery design.

Katrina Burtles, Kelly Donovan, Antoinette Goossens and Rachel Nead's proposal for an installation that aims to evoke memories of past celebrations and events within the community.

We are really excited about working with these local talents!

CALL FOR LOCAL ARTISTS

In preparation for the upcoming We Heart the Suburbs exhibition in Cluny Square, St. Luke's, we are calling upon local artists and designers to contribute ideas. Artists and designers of all levels of experience and all backgrounds have the opportunity to submit proposals with the chance of realising these ideas and winning a cash prize of £150! If you're interested, check out the brief below...

COMMUNITY PROJECT: STAGE 01

The first stage will engage with local suburbanites in three areas of Southend-on-Sea – St. Luke’s, Milton and Victoria. In each area there will be an interactive exhibition that asks locals to participate through sharing ideas, desires and memories. The exhibition will work as a form of ‘blank canvas’ that the public add to and manipulate to gain a true picture of suburban lifestyles and attitudes. Interactive maps, models, films and photography will enable the local public to create the content of their own exhibition, both highlighting the needs and desires of the local public, and celebrating its existing culture. The main themes addressed will be:

• Suburban memories and stories (Memory)
• Recording, mapping and analysing the ‘everyday’ of Suburbanites (The Everyday)
• The future of suburbia in reaction to contemporary, global issues, i.e. climate change and energy usage (Prospects)

The exhibitions will not only help to generate public engagement, but will also affirm creative networks in the areas. We will achieve this through delegating sections of the exhibitions to local young or non-established designers, architects or artists, through issuing a ‘competition’ 6 weeks prior to the event.

A fourth exhibition will be held in a more central location that will collate, analyse and conclude the information and knowledge gained from the local exhibitions. This will allow all members of the wider community to attend and see how their reactions compare with other areas. This is proposed in an effort to maximise public awareness of the project.

Some examples of work we admire:

CUP’s ‘Green Information Centre’, New York.  They worked with local young people to produce a roaming booth to engage with the local community.  It contained information to answer the local’s green questions.

Public Works’ ‘Park Products’, London.  The project worked with local park users, gardeners, rangers and students to help design the park products.

'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.