Art U Need

Transforming public open spaces in South Essex

‘Art U Need: An Outdoor Revolution’, was an ambitious programme of commissions led by artist Bob and Roberta Smith which transformed public, open spaces in the Thames Gateway Gateway South Essex area

.Working closely with the local people, drawing on their history, heritage and culture for inspiration, artists Lucy Harrison, Andrea Mason, Milika Muritu, Hayley Newman and Jane Wilbraham were commissioned to create site specific works for five districts in the Thames Gateway: Castle Point, Basildon, Southend, Rochford and Thurrock.

The commissions were accompanied by a programme of education events and a seminar for artists, at which 24 Essex based artists, working with the Art U Need artists produced 'A Manifesto for the Public Realm.'

The project was initiated by the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership, through the Investing in Communities (IiC) programme, funded by the East of England Development Agency and Arts Council England, East, and developed and managed by Commissions East.

A book telling the Art U Need story was written as a personal diary by Bob and Roberta Smith.  It reflects his experiences of working in communities and raises questions about the role of artists in regeneration, stressing the importance of involving the public in a meaningful way.  'Art U Need: My Part in the Public Art Revolution', published by Black Dog is available to purchase from Commissions East, Black Dog and from book sellers nationally.

The commissions: 

Art U Need Needs U
Artist: Andrea Mason
Location: Northlands Park Neighbourhood, Basildon

'Art U Need Needs U' by Andrea Mason invited participation from the residents of the Northlands Park Neighbourhood.

'My project, 'Art U Need Needs U', was a campaign - the active word being "U" - a direct call to arms to the local population to get outdoors and to get involved.' Andrea Mason

From January to March 2007, the Northlands Park Neighbourhood became venue for a series of events - a Speakers' Corner, Poetry Slam! Dog Off!, Parkour free-running workshops, Painting on the Green - as well as designated days and organised walks - walk to school days, Wildlife Walks and Ghost Walks amongst others..

Accompanying the events, Andrea produced and distributed 2,000 copies of the Art U Need Needs U diary which not only listed the events but also contained space for individual responses, poems, prose or drawings and suggestions for activities. Prizes were awarded to the best diaries at the final 'Its a Wrap Party'.

Canvey Guides
Artist:  Lucy Harrison
Location:  Canvey Heights, Canvey Island

'Canvey Guides' by Lucy Harrison aimed to encourage greater use of Canvey Heights and the other open spaces of Canvey, and to foster interaction between long-term and newer residents of the island.

During the development of her project, Lucy Harrison met many local people, who were keen to show her around the island; take her to social clubs and cafes, along the sea wall or to their houses. They gave her old guidebooks, maps and photographs.

It was these places and stories that Lucy gathered together into a book appropriating the name of an old guidebook, 'Captivating Canvey'. At the launch, contributors, carrying signs made by local sign writer, Bob the Brush, took tourists and visitors to the island on guided tours recounting memories and anecdotes. Lucy also made an audio guide, recorded to sound like a museum guide.

Another aspect of Lucy Harrison's project was the establishment of the 'Rendezvous Club', a walking club that meets at Canvey Heights on the first Sunday of every month, with themes such as Nostalgia, Private Property and Rumour. The participants are encouraged to talk to others they do not yet know and new acquaintances are photographed at the club and sent a print and certificate as a record.

More information about the project can be found at www.canveyguides.com

The Purfleet One Float Carnival
Artist:  Jane Wilbraham
Location:  Purfleet

In her project 'The Purfleet One Float Carnival or The Re-inauguration of the Ministerial Fish Dinner' Jane Wilbraham's research drew on the rich and varied history of Purfleet and its relationship to the food, transport and the river, its proximity to London, and especially the fish dinners enjoyed by government ministers in the eighteenth century.

In collaboration with architect David Bickle (Hawkins/Brown), she created a large sculpture which was fabricated by All Scene All Props in Kent. As the project name suggests, the sculpture was in the form of a giant fish.  It toured around Purfleet accompanied by the sound of vintage fairground band organ music, operating as a multi-functional spectacle while children from Purfleet Primary joined in the one float carnival.

Wilbraham also created 'The Purfleet Cookbook' consisting of food recipes, food memories and anecdotes with contributions from the Purfleet Heritage Centre and the residents at Mulberry Drive sheltered housing amongst others.

 
Secret Sculpture
Artist:  Hayley Newman
Location:  Rochford Reservoir, Rochford

Among other things, Hayley Newman drew inspiration from a piece of local history for her project at Rochford Reservoir - a white post known as 'The Whispering Post' . The story dates back to the early 17th century when the then Lord of the Manor returned home to discover his tenants whispering and plotting against him, after which he insisted that all his tenants meet at the white post at midnight on the Wednesday after Michaelmas to pay homage in the form of a whisper.

In proposing a sculpture that would be designed and fabricated in secret, Newman actively encouraged rumour and supposition about the nature of the project amongst the residents of Rochford.

Newman worked with teenagers at King Edmund School in Rochford to produce the design to be fabricated in the form of a giant puzzle by John Parker and Jeff Hatt. 1,000 horseshoes were used to weight the 36 individual pieces of the sculpture before they were rowed out on to the water and sunk, to be retrieved a week later by divers from the Rochford based dive school, Dive Odyssea.

With only 32 of the original 36 pieces retrieved from the depths of the reservoir, in a second workshop, participants were taught the ship-building skill of roving to help them reassemble the sculpture with no knowledge of the original concept or design. The sculpture was temporarily sited on the island where it would be undisturbed until the end of the nesting season.

Queensway Streams
Artist:  Milika Muritu
Location:  Queensway Estate, Southend

Queensway Streams aimed to change local perceptions of the Queensway Estate for both its residents and the local community.

Muritu's project draws attention to the monumental architecture of the 'tower block'. The four towers of the Queensway Estate were named after four famous British hills, Quantock, Chiltern, Pennine and Malvern, reflecting the initial optimism of the 1960's. In creating Queensway Streams,

Muritu attempted to resurrect some of this original optimism found during the estate's construction by creating a continuous band or ribbon of colour; by day flooding the laundry drying rooms on each floor with a warm glow of light, while at night creating a 150ft stream cascading down the towers.

The modular sculpture was created from transparent and translucent Perspex acrylic panels with the expertise of engineers Mike Chapman and Paul Hartley, and local Southend companies Alljay Plastics and Jarons Precision

Documents

Art forms

• Collaborative art

Themes

• Community Development

Interventions

• New ways of working with LAs