This project involved working with Dr Tara Webster Deakin with the City as a Lab team, part of University of Nottingham, in conjunction with a group of Year 9 'young researchers' from Bulwell. Dr. Tara Webster-Deakin lead the project developing the skills of young people as community researchers. The project explored how a purpose-built PARM (3D interactive map) can help support local communities to collect data, share data and build stories about ‘place’ to better understand wants and needs.
I was commissioned to create a piece of artwork telling the story of their research findings. The focus of the project explored the experience of place from the perspective of young people in one of Nottingham’s socio-economically challenged areas, Bulwell.
Bulwell is the second most deprived ward in Nottingham city and ranks as the 110th most deprived out of England's 7,412 wards. Young people (under 16) account for 23.4% of the ward population which is higher than that of Nottingham city (18.8%) and nationally (18.3%). Bulwell has a higher proportion (41.4%) of children aged 0 - 15 yrs living in poverty as compared to Nottingham city (29.8%).
I made a series of sketches to plan out the themes discussed in our ideation sessions
It was an honour to be involved in this project and to learn about the young people’s experiences. Working with them to uncover the findings of their research out in the community, then reflecting on the data together to bring those stories to life, was incredibly meaningful.
The narrative is framed around a central character wearing a horned helmet, a nod to the area’s ancient folklore. Local legend tells of a bull charging a sandstone rock, creating a spring that still flows today, giving rise to the name Bulwell. The local pronunciation is also highly distinctive; Bulwell is often spoken as the single syllable word ‘Bool’, and it felt fitting to weave this detail into the character’s design.
The torch is prominent as a beacon of light and hope. The group’s research highlighted a need for safer spaces for children, alongside care of, developing and cleaning of public areas.
Standing proud and looking forward, surrounded by an abstract impressions of key themes, the character reflects a shared optimism, a sense of hope for growth, renewal and belief in what the community can become.
The artwork will be hung in Bulwell Academy’s Community Hub.
