East Midlands: "Home is…"
Have you ever really looked at the area in which you live? What does home mean to you? The “home is . . .” project in Lincoln looked at just those things through a postcard survey and reflected the findings back to the community through beautiful textiles. Read on. . .
The “home is . .. “Project took place between June and October 2005. It celebrated the Abbey Ward Neighbourhood Renewal Area of Lincoln through postcards and textile art. It all started in September 2004, when a group of residents and representatives from English Heritage, Lincoln City Development Project (LCDP) and Lincoln City Council got together to create a project which could include the diverse communities of the area. We came up with the idea that everybody could celebrate what it meant to live on or around the Monks Road. A local artist was engaged to design a postcard which would capture the spirit of the area and encourage residents to share their thoughts and feelings about what home meant to them.
In June 2005 the 31st Lincoln Scouts delivered around 4000 postcards to every residence in the Abbey Ward. The postcard asked what home meant to the people who lived in the area. Nearly 100 responses were returned from the residents and the children of the Monks Road Primary School. People had given their thoughts and feelings by using words, poems, drawings, and cartoons. The things they told us about were amazingly varied and covered what it is really like to live in the area – both good and bad things. The topics covered everything from children’s pets, home cooking, historic landmarks and the changing face of the landscape of the area.
All of the responses were handed over to 2 textile artists who turned them into banners, bunting and a cabinet of curiosities full of objects made from reclaimed materials which brought into 3 dimensions images and ideas from the postcard responses. These wonderful creations were launched to the community in October 2005.
These colourful and practical items are now available to community groups for use to promote events and decorate celebrations in the area. We hope that groups will also use the cabinet of curiosities to stimulate projects and discussions about life in the area.
Our thanks go to all of the people of the area for their support of this project. The response was truly great and we hope that everyone enjoys seeing the work commemorated on the banners and in the bunting.
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