Please join us for our Open House London event on Saturday 19th September. We will be meeting in General Gordon Square in Woolwich at 10.30am and looking at the design and social uses of the square.
Multiple perspectives of the square will be given by members of The Bench Project team. Jasber Singh, Greenwich Inclusion Project, will give an overview of civic spaces in Woolwich and dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in this part of London. Clare Rishbeth (University of Sheffield) will discuss the design of the square, talking through the importance of affordances and visual permeability, reflecting both on the design intentions of the Landscape Architects, Gustafson Porter, and how these have been adapted and subject to different management actions. Samprada Mukhia, fieldworker on The Bench Project will share what she has learnt about patterns of sitting and moving in this place, and in particular the experience of elder Nepali residents, mostly recent migrants, who enjoy using the square.
The tour will conclude with a 'pre-launch' showing of the 18 minute film made by documentary filmmaker Esther Johnson within The Bench Project, reflecting the pleasures, interactions and memories of sitting outside in General Gordon Square and an Open Space in St Helier, Sutton. This will take place in the nearby offices of Greenwich Inclusion Project, with time for further discussion on the importance and challenges of sitting outside in London, and the relationship between design, management and social wellbeing. The event will be finished by 12.00... in time for Woolwich Carnival!
No booking required. More details on the Open House London website.
Multiple perspectives of the square will be given by members of The Bench Project team. Jasber Singh, Greenwich Inclusion Project, will give an overview of civic spaces in Woolwich and dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in this part of London. Clare Rishbeth (University of Sheffield) will discuss the design of the square, talking through the importance of affordances and visual permeability, reflecting both on the design intentions of the Landscape Architects, Gustafson Porter, and how these have been adapted and subject to different management actions. Samprada Mukhia, fieldworker on The Bench Project will share what she has learnt about patterns of sitting and moving in this place, and in particular the experience of elder Nepali residents, mostly recent migrants, who enjoy using the square.
The tour will conclude with a 'pre-launch' showing of the 18 minute film made by documentary filmmaker Esther Johnson within The Bench Project, reflecting the pleasures, interactions and memories of sitting outside in General Gordon Square and an Open Space in St Helier, Sutton. This will take place in the nearby offices of Greenwich Inclusion Project, with time for further discussion on the importance and challenges of sitting outside in London, and the relationship between design, management and social wellbeing. The event will be finished by 12.00... in time for Woolwich Carnival!
No booking required. More details on the Open House London website.