UP Projects have been working with Telford Homes and SGN Place since 2019 to curate and implement an artist-led public engagement project relating to a proposed new development at Rotherhithe Holder Station, Salter Road, London. As part of the engagement process, UP Projects commissioned art and architecture collective public works to design and build the Rotherhithe Public Living Room. Functioning as a temporary onsite space, the Rotherhithe Public Living Room helped engage people with the development and allowed UP Projects and public works to collaborate with local members of the community in order to understand how the future site can contribute positively to the local communities. The project resulted in a Community and Culture strategy entitled Ecosystems of Learning which you can download from the resources section.
The project followed a two-phased engagement process which involved one-to-one meetings and workshops with local stakeholders and community leaders throughout June and July 2019. These meetings and workshops created space for dialogue, listening and exchange between the artists, UP Projects and members of the local communities.
The Rotherhithe Public Living Room designed by public works was then built to extend the engagement activity to the wider residential community. From October to December 2019, the Rotherhithe Public Living Room ran a bespoke programme of workshops, events and drop-in days to give people the chance to learn more about the development and contribute to ideas for the onsite community and culture offer.
Core to the engagement process was to create the space and time necessary to support the development of meaningful relationships and build trust in order to generate ideas and themes for the future development of the site that resonated with the communities of Rotherhithe. At the core of the project was the belief that progressive development can only be created when the five forms of capital – social capital, human capital, ecological capital, cultural capital and financial capital - are holistically nurtured (for further information on the five capitals framework, download the Ecosystems of Learning report from the resources section.)
Please visit www.rotherhitheholderstation.co.uk for more information on the project and community programme.
