Socially engaged community projects, over the years
A driving force for my art practice is people and community. In fact, I cannot call it 'my' art, it is 'ours', as it is the people who make it. I am fascinated by others' life stories and how they experience the world. I have seen, through projects in communities I have lived and worked in, the power of creativity to connect us and start up conversations we might otherwise not have in a fun, light and reflective way.
Anatomy of a Pub: 'What does the Shakespeare mean to you?' Creative Quiz Night Takeover, The Shakespeare, Stoke Newington, August, 2023
In a local Hackney pub where I work, I collaborated with the Quiz Master during the busy Monday Quiz night to set a creative (not scored!) task for the punters. Here I asked the question 'what does the Shakespeare mean to you?' and encouraged a response with pencils, pens and paper whether that be drawings, marks, words... the response was beautiful. I had heaps of humorous, emotional and detailed drawings that really highlighted just how much of a community hub the place is, and just how naturally people take to getting creative and thinking beyond general knowledge. Here are a selection of the artworks, and photographs of some of the customers who took part.
Hummingbird mural for NHS, Safedale Pharmacy, Stoke Newington, 2021
During the first Lockdown, I assisted in the painting of a rainbow hummingbird mural, designed by artist Cathryn Marshal, on the wall of our local pharmacy. Hummingbirds are seen as healers and bringers of love in some cultures. It was created as a positive message and a permanent thankyou to all NHS and social care workers helping care for us during the most challenging of times. The mural became a focal point for the neighbourhood to clap and honour the NHS workers and social carers looking after us. Our community art project made the Hackney Gazette and Financial Times and raised £1,135 for charities Hackney Foodbank, NIA Project and OCD Action.
Thoughts Aloud, 3pm exactly, 18.01.21
This was a community art project with the street I grew up on in Stoke Newington, Hackney. It was about collective thoughts fossilised in time, connecting locked down neighbours behind closed doors, via email on 'Blue Monday'. These were then transcribed & illustrated into a sewn booklet to keep, delivered to each of the 21 people who paused to participate.
The Power of Human Touch, 2020
A response to the limited social interaction and human contact the Covid pandemic brought to the world.
The project began with a collaborative piece with a fellow student called 'Project Hug' where we published blended videos online of people we invited to participate hugging one another - and themselves - from their Lockdown bubbles, to create a 'community of huggers'. I also interviewed people remotely and recorded their thoughts and memories of touch as simple as a hug, and collated voices and videos. Alongside this, I carried out interviews with Namaste Care volunteers who provide holistic, sensory activities such as hand massages and nail painting for people living with dementia in their care. I also trained as a Dementia Friend.
Building on both these explorations, I later did my own 'durational performance', setting up a creative nail salon and doing nail art with my Kingston foundation cohort. For those comfortable to join, I painted their chosen designs, holding their hands, talking throughout, recording each sitting. This live art piece aimed to encourage the human touch, creative interaction and natural conversation that came about as a result of this experience, that we had been missing for so long.
The final video piece compiles these videos, interviews and the nail salon interactions together.
