Thanks to everyone who attended our free family event on 2 July celebrating the 'ArtScaping' programme at North West Cambridge Development.
In 2015, Dr. Esther Sayers, Goldsmiths College was invited to write a strategy for educational work and research, which aimed to engage children and their communities to become involved in the artists working at the site and the development itself. This strategy evolved into the ArtScapers programme with the involvement of social enterprise Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination. It is built on the core value of co-creation for children, their schools, teachers and their families.
The programme explores the constantly changing and extraordinary landscape at North West Cambridge Development to celebrate the future selves, homes and cities all re-imagined by children. One hundred and fifty children from two local schools (Mayfield Primary School and the University of Cambridge Primary School) have worked as artists themselves, creatively exploring the programme themes of community, place, sustainability, ecology and archaeology with CCI artist Susanne Jasilek.
On 2 July 2016 there were a series of interactive displays of the children's work to explore across the site during the day. A film made by artist Ruth Proctor about her work 'we are all under the same sky' and how children are engaging with it in the University of Cambridge Primary School was also screened.
There were opportunities for everyone to get hands-on, to play with materials and ideas to create new future selves and buildings to place in a cityscape that was shaped and re-shaped over the course of the day.
Artist led educational resources, for working creatively with changes brought about by urban renewal, were also launched on the day, available here on the North West Development Art Programme website.
All photographs courtesy of Joe Plommer.
