We aim to be immediate, radical and innovative in our ways of engaging communities. We have a history of working in partnership with other arts organisations, housing associations, city council, police, health and young people’s providers in neighbourhoods across the city. Our aim is to understand local neighbourhood issues and use creative ways to address them. Each issue is of the moment, unique, attached to a specific place and usually a particular group of people. We use innovative and risk-taking approaches to tackle issues, always with art at the heart of the intervention.
2014. More than 200 people flocked to the event with carol singing, craft activities, steaming Scouse, twinkling lights and a magical grotto. Now an annual fixture, it attracts over 500 local community residents.
2013.Young people worked with the world renowned Wired Aerial Theatre to choreograph and develop a performance for film using bungee-assisted dance and vertical wall work. Urban Conceptz cinematographers captured the work and together created a film, Gravity, which was premiered at the Bluecoat in September 2013.
2013. A group of children, identified by Cobalt Housing, were causing serious damage to disused houses in Norris Green, putting themselves at risk and causing distress to people in the local neighbourhood. The children and their families had been issued with ABCs so we engaged with them as a condition of their order. With artist Liz Harry, the children created art work to completely cover hoardings around the disused houses using lyrics from the song “Our House” by Madness.
2013. Stonedale Crescent in Croxteth has an active group of women working from within their estate to push for positive social change. The women collectively refer to themselves as the Stonedale Women’s Action Group or the WAGs for short. We worked with the WAGs to build capacity for them to run their own creative programmes. Puppetry, face-painting, storytelling and drama development have been supported by child protection and health and safety training.
2012. Over 50 organisations came together on a cold night in March to reclaim the Ralla in an event called Chrysalis. It was transformed into an enchanted, magical space with a light parade created by over 300 people processing along the winding track to an outdoor performance, with giant lantern puppets, created with Liverpool Lantern Company.
2011. A project that unpicked the complex tapestry of issues around territories, social violence and crime through sharply drawn perspectives from young people, police, ex-gang members, drug dealers, mothers, youth workers and residents.
2010.An evening programme of “on the street” conversations with ex-offenders and gang members centred round football, drumming, circus, breakdance demonstrations. Activities engaged NEET and ‘at risk’ young people in Everton, Anfield, Toxteth, Speke, Kirkdale, Croxteth, Sparrowhall and Norris Green.
