Lacking colour and in need of a bit of attention the Halton Estate was identified as target for a major regeneration project in 2004. Buildings were given a facelift with colourful facades and new balconies. A great improvement, but something was missing. After talking to the residents association, we were told it was the area’s open spaces that were in need of some creative design and attention.
So 1066 Housing joined with its partners to launch a public art project that would complete the transformation. Artists were specially selected to work with the community to produce interactive features that would really improve the environment.
The public art project became known as Impact and involved Halton Residents Association, the Arts Council of England and Hastings Borough Council along with 1066 Housing.
Impact began with artist Ashley McCormick’s research into residents’ interests and hobbies to find out what sort of public art would best suit the area. Ashley also got Halton’s children involved, encouraging them to look differently at the litter and debris on the estate. Using a camera and kaleidoscopic lens, children saw the rubbish undergo a dramatic change. Slow moving silhouettes of the children’s finds have been made into projected sequences, which animate the site from dusk until dawn.
Green fingered children worked with artist Maggie Cullen to develop two plots into children’s gardens. The ‘Greenery Gang’ as they became known got stuck into the job, visiting Great Dixter for inspiration and successfully planting some flowerbeds for SureStart on the estate. Seating and planting were combined in Maggie’s imaginative design for the garden; the split-level timber structures were based on the children’s drawings of the buildings that used to occupy the site. These act both as informal seating elements interspersed with fragrant plants and a space for children to play and tend and enjoy the shrubs, herbs and flowers.
‘Big Bench’, designed by Heidi Svenningsen Kajita, transformed another communal garden on the estate. More than just a big bench, the project incorporated residents’ ideas about what they find familiar and secure. It includes areas to climb, tumble, rest, play, hide, picnic or perform and low screens that effect shadows and silhouettes. The multiuse play area challenges the imagination and helps children’s social and physical development.
Finally, video artist Kenton Lowe has produced 'Amaryllis' a cascading series of video monitors situated in the wonderful new eco-sustainable “Bridge” Community Centre which serves the Halton Estate and other residents throughout the Ore Valley and surrounding area.
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This page last updated: 12/07/2006