create week
Create week was a week of free creative workshops organised by Ogechi Spacetime and lead by local creatives for Tottenham community residents.
The workshops included sessions on clowning, shakespearean acting, colour theory, painting with acrylics, social media, and creative writing.
Tottenham is one of the most diverse areas in London. It’s also one of the city areas facing violent ‘regeneration’ programmes which result in increasingly difficult housing situations for residents until they are forced out of the area in favour of a wealthier, majority white demographic. One effect of this gentrification is the dissolution of social ties. Atop this, London is one of the most lonely cities in the world, and Haringey, the borough Tottenham sits within, one of the boroughs experiencing the highest levels of loneliness. A survey published by age uk puts Tottenham in the group of highest loneliness rates.
Creative engagement can be a massively impactful tool against issues like loneliness and the myriad health issues that come with it. Agency is key. Social prescribing research has shown the massive positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing achieved by activities which offer the participants some form of agency within their immediate environment, and which create moments for communal engagement.
The aim of create week was to provide that: a space for all ages and demographics of the community to engage creatively together. Tottenham’s creative community was reached out to for people who had skills which they could share which could engage a cross-section of Tottenham’s demographics. The project was a joy to watch unfold, and over the course of the week we had locals of all ages and walks of life come together to create. Of course one week of workshops does not solve the issue of loneliness, but it was a start, and offered us, the artists involved, the opportunity to experiment with the ways in which we could apply our skill sets to the benefit of the local community.