Southwater, just north of Warrior Square station, is an area buzzing with regeneration.
The impressively active Southwater Area Residents Association (SARA), is determined the area should regenerate further through creative development, better community networks and a brighter physical environment.
To help achieve all this SARA invited the Ore based ONE-TWO-ONE art and architecture network to lead a project set within Southwater’s network of roads: Woodland Vale Road, Southwater Road Triangle, De Cham Road and Chapel Park Road; it became the aptly named Up the Road and Round the Corner.
The project steering group working alongside ONE-TWO -ONE and the council’s Public Art Development Officer secured Arts Council funding for phase one of a two stage project.
The project brief, set out by SARA, was to forge a visible identity for the Southwater Renewal area. Artists and architects, through a process of creative consultation, worked closely with residents on a range of architectural pieces for the landscape.
Lots of ideas were tested out from a cross-section of the community through three teams known as ‘urban residencies’. The ONE-TWO-ONE team also worked with students from Hastings College of Arts and Technology, London Metropolitan University and children from the local primary school.
These urban residencies were on show during the St Leonards Festival on 8 July in Warrior Square Gardens. Sound and video works were featured on the day alongside an exhibition of student work. A specially commissioned Church.
Peal, Southwater Surprise Minor, started the festival. The 40-minute bell peal was composed for SARA by Alan Pink, Captain of Christchurch Tower, and was rung by the Christchurch Bell Ringers.
A day will be set aside each year to ring the Southwater Peal. Details will be on the website and recording will be available on a CD.
A Design Ideas Workshop took place on the 12 August at Chapel Park Online Centre in Chapel Park Road. To see the outcomes of this workshop or to listen to the developing oral archive log on to the One two One website, and look out for the exhibition day to be held in the Southwater area in September 2006.
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This page last updated: 12/09/2006