Regent Estate Dreams Drawing Factory is a community-led art installation organized by Marie James of The Pink Pony and Clear Village with the residents of the Regent Estate in East London throughout March 2014, and an inspiration for all to dream and craft a better way of living together in our communities!
The event was part of the community-led global art project ‘The Big Laundry’ (translation from french ‘La grande lessive’). Answering the call for dreams launched by the ‘Big Laundry’ organizers during the month of March, The Pink Pony has been working with residents and kids from local schools to make drawings of their dream for their neighbourhood. The drawings were then exhibited in an installation in situ on March 28 & 29. The aim of this project was to foster dialogue, conversations and active participation in this overlooked neighbourhood at the heart of East London.
Collective crafting helps to overcome fear, to facilitate conversations and to dream BIG. Loving making stuff herself, Marie had discovered through community events she organized in the past that making things with other people facilitates dialogue, as it helps to break the ice, overcome shyness and fear of talking to one another.
Throughout March, her team ran drawing workshops with the local residents and encouraged them to make drawings on a shared topic: “I have a dream for Regent Estate”. They tried different techniques to actualise the resident’s vision of an ideal neighbourhood like sketching, drawing, painting or 3D crafting. They found that drawing and making a 3D model of a dream is a first step towards achieving it. Collectively crafting inspired interesting conversations amongst the residents about what would make a better neighbourhood, and how to start improving it.
In parallel, The Pink Pony posted on the creative network GOOD an invitation to help the residents of Regent Estate to dream and draw a better neighbourhood. Marie was amazingly surprised to receive drawings from GOOD members all around the world giving shape to the resident’s dreams. She even received help from an entire group of people in transition from homelessness in St. Louis USA, and from friends of the Pony in France, Finland and Switzerland! This gave her faith in the possibility for meaningful interactions and dialogues amongst a community crossing geographical boundaries and cultures. And in the possibility to share a same dream from different hands of the world!
By showcasing the dreams drawn by local residents and the interpretations of those dreams sent from across the seas by other dreamers, the ephemeral installation widened during two days the frontiers of the local neighbourhood! It fostered dialogue amongst the members of this ephemeral community, whether they lived next door, in London or at the other end of the world.
Let’s keep on dreaming big and creating meaningful interactions within our communities over the world!