Arts Activation within 15 Minute Neighbourhoods
The ongoing battle with the pandemic has made the world rethink on how we do things. How we live and work has made a 360° turn, which has ultimately led the government to develop the framework for a “15-minute neighbourhood”. The concept of the 15-minute city is to have a hub within local areas, providing healthcare, shops, bars, and schooling within 15 minutes (no more than 20 minutes) of the homes of residents.
A great deal of imaginative work is going into rebuilding for the future. A huge part of this fightback will be to embrace the essential changes needed to tackle the economic climate crisis. In addition, we will learn lessons from how we have adapted to difficult situations. The aim of this is to help bridge the gap between communities and local authorities all while emphasising the importance of togetherness and promoting good health.
In this blog post, we will take a look at the ways your organisation can help promote the 15-minute neighbourhood framework through creative artwork all whilst encouraging heritage, resident wellbeing and culture!
Togetherness and Wellbeing
An increased level of communities are taking part in engagement activities to help improve their quality of life!
We worked closely with Waltham Forest Council, where we displayed beautiful hand-painted window art on the window of small businesses around North London. What made it fun and engaging, is we also created an engaging game for children around the area to get involved in with the use of a 3D Map. Our arts engagement campaign helped to showcase the heritage and culture around North London, within key sites of the 15-minute city framework.
Embracing the arts, social activities, and interaction with our communities can help us to overcome major challenges, such as loneliness and ageing. Boosting confidence and enhancing resilience can be positive effects of it. Arts engagement also helps alleviate anxiety, depression, and stress. Arts engagement also benefits communities. As we age, we might face isolation through a loss of social connections, such as friends, family, and workplace detachment- as well as other limitations such as decreasing physical health. Rebuilding social connections is also a very important factor when it comes to trying to build a healthier community of people. Art & Culture engagement activities can improve well-being and mental health within residents.
Regeneration can be mindful of social value
As well as helping people cope with mental illness and psychological distress, participating in the arts can help reduce crime and antisocial behaviour. It allows for a better understanding and an outlet for self-expression, as more people engage in activities surrounding arts and culture. The negative impacts of regeneration, such as community conflict, economic inequality, etc can also be remedied through public art as it can be treated as therapy and again, self-expression which may have otherwise manifested in other ways such as violence or criminal damage.
Creative art ideas - Our Work
We captivate localised culture and heritage of communities with engaging, vibrant public artwork with the aim of igniting social interaction, fluidity and togetherness.
Murals:
It is no secret mural art installation really enhances the visual identity of a neighbourhood, making it captivating and unique! Murals add a pop of colour to building walls and local streets that would otherwise go unnoticed. This leaves room for discussion and admiration to be had making the feel of the local area to be more pleasant, safe and interesting to be in. Murals can work as collective thought spaces and aid dialogue around a subject or community issue through what they visually communicate.
Window Art Advertising:
Window art advertising on shop windows is a great way to connect with residents around the area and make the area more attractive, fun, and quirky. It also has other benefits for example increasing business for local shops as their window art display can be a unique selling point. Attractive window displays play an important role in marketing for brands also, the more customers become familiar with this genius branding strategy, the more likely they are to spend money and put their money back into the economic development of the local community. The design goal of a good window display is to attract customers and lead them into the shop whilst being engaging and on-brand at the same time.
Managed Arts Activation Spaces:
Art spaces would also be another great feature to add. It provides local communities an aesthetically pleasing space to relax and be away from the usual hustle and bustle of the local high street which is wonderful for mental health and wellbeing. Managed art spaces, that are branded and have a booking system for local creative talents to fill the space can also be a place for residents to meet other residents whilst being in a pleasant, human-focused environment.
Town centre, shop and space activation boasts the opportunity to learn, share ideas stimulate minds. Families are given a chance to connect and enjoy activities together.
Chingford Mount:
Our visual marketing campaign involved working with the borough of Waltham Forest as discussed above, where we named our project “The Treasures of Chingford Mount”.
We produced an interactive game with residents using a 3D map and 13 puzzles which were hidden within carefully painted window art on the windows of local shops. The residents of the community would then have the opportunity to receive a reward card which would direct the residents to our virtual map where they could learn more about the treasures located within the local area.
This has helped the community in many ways, one is helping to boost the footfall traffic and economic activity within the area. Residents are able to see the wonderful window art on their local high street which encourages them to go in and spend money.
Work with us!
We would love to work with you!
If you are interested in speaking more about some of the ideas we have discussed in this post then get in contact with us today- so we can help you activate your 15-minute city!
