Eventus

A key aim of Creative Places was to support the housing regeneration staff in being able to create, appoint to and manage creative projects which fitted their objectives.

Journey’s To Hidden Places

Creativity

Firth Park and Wincobank is a large area in need of major landscaping, but without the resources to do so. YSO, a multi-disciplinary team of community artists led by Gordon Young, was appointed to work with the community to identify a sense of place and distinctiveness, improving perceptions of the area and encouraging participation from the local community.

Impact

Journeys to Hidden Places, a public art strategy for the area, includes 20 commissions to develop the public realm.

YSO consulted and engaged the community through  community-based creative activities to develop proposals for site specific artworks and landscaping. The key areas identified for improvements were routes, the urban walks that radiate from the neighbourhoods to the key surrounding areas, destinations, buildings and spaces at the end of the urban walks and green spaces. Public art developed for the Journey’s To Hidden Places project include The Giant’s Hands and Feet, The Enchanted Chairs, The Pavement Plates, The Map Rock, Smelly Wellies, Brendan’s Glove Garden, The Sun Apple, The Posh Pillars and The Lost Gateway.

Results

12 Artworks have been installed and led to increased activity by local people. A highly critical article in the local paper was robustly responded to by a local resident, at pains to point out the ways in which the project had involved local people in improving their local environment.

City Road Placemaking

City Road is one of the most important routes into Sheffield, but it is sometimes seen as more of a place to go through rather than somewhere to stop off and appreciate. The road provides a key route in and out of the city centre and runs through five different neighbourhoods, all containing hidden gems.

Creativity

City Road Placemaking was a series of projects to improve the look and feel of City Road, to make it easier to get around. Artist Rupert Clamp, created a City Rd desk- complete with umbrella- which travelled up and down the road collecting local opinions and hopes for the future.

Impact

Over 400 people talked to the artist, giving the Council lots of ideas about how to improve areas identified as needing attention. A two-day design workshop was then  held in the Victoria Hall Methodist Church, where all the ideas from the community engagement activities were used to develop the key themes for City Road – stones, orchards and markers.

Results

A series of artworks and  refurbishment at key points e.g. the entrance to the City Rd Cemetery, a new sensory garden at Manor Top Library, have improved the look and feel of the road.

Safety improvements have been incorporated into the scheme, making it easier to move along and across the road at key points.  A new walking group has been set up to explore the road and environs.

Other projects

Doctor, Doctor

People, Places & Spaces