Bohemia Village Voice  Bohemia Village Voice

For bohemians everywhere

Public art project to put Southwater on the map?

Elise Liversedge

Elise Liversedge

Several key sites in the Southwater area could soon be transformed by a public-art project that is entering its final phase. The project was the initial idea of the Southwater Area Residents’ Association (SARA), whose acting chair, Anthony Bradnum, told the Voice, ‘In 2005, through Michael Hambridge at Hastings Council, we approached One Two One, a group of artists and architects based in Hastings. We’d been really impressed with the project they’d been running up at Farley Bank in Ore.’
 SARA then applied to the Arts Council, who put up £21,000 for One Two One to conduct the project’s initial phase. Beginning in late 2005, the arts and architecture group have pursued a number of separate initiatives with various local groups, including Christ Church School, Chapel Park Online and the Seaview Centre.
 The Voice spoke to architect Elise Liversedge of One Two One about the progress of what has become known as the ‘Up the road and round the corner’ arts project. ‘SARA told us they wanted to develop links within their community. So for phase one of the residency we approached Christ Church School and made a film with some of the pupils about how they saw the area. People can see it on our website, www.onetwoone.org.uk. We also forged links with Chapel Park Online, the computer-training centre in the basement of the St Leonards Baptist Church on Chapel Park Road, and with the Seaview Centre, who themselves wanted to have better links with the community. We worked again with students from London Metropolitan University, as we had up at Ore. They created temporary art pieces all over the area. One student turned the green triangle at the junction of Woodland Vale Road and De Cham Road into a tablecloth for a tea party. People didn’t quite know what to make of it but they were interested to see what he was doing.’
 Local residents may also already have heard the bell peal, Southwater Surprise Minor, specially composed for the project by Alan Pink, the captain of the tower at Christ Church on London Road. It was first rung at last year’s St Leonards Festival, and should be opening the same event this year. It can also be heard on the One Two One website. ‘For the residents the bell peal has been the best thing.’ says Elise. ‘Hearing something like that places you. It was such a simple thing to do.’
 From all of these initiatives Elise and her colleagues have developed a series of design ideas for the area, which include developing the green triangle as a meeting place by paving over half of the grassy area and enhancing the rest of it with flowering shrubs, as well as putting up a new noticeboard incorporating a postbox. The group also plans to inlay the histories of certain buildings into the adjacent pavements. ‘For instance, many people won’t know that the Seaview Centre was once a drill hall, and before that a post-sorting office. We plan to put a permanent record of that history in the pavement outside.’
 One Two One is now seeking the opinions of local residents about the design ideas. ‘The designs have come about from all the conversations we’ve already had with local people. We’ve been round with students from Hastings College interviewing people, and now every Southwater resident has received a letter and a questionnaire about the design ideas. We’re very keen that as many people as possible feel involved in the project. The ideas are still flexible, so any feedback we get could lead to subtle alterations to the basic plans. It’s important for us to know what people think before we start making anything.’
 Anyone interested in this project or the Friends of the Glen can hear more or have their say at SARA’s annual general meeting at the Southwater Comm-unity Centre at 7pm on 2nd July.

Map of proposed art installations

Map of proposed art installations

Leave a Response

You must be logged in to post a comment.