Broadwater Farm
Project
Lost Blocks Collective
Client
Karakusevic Carson Architects & Haringey Economic Team
Location
Broadwater Farm, Tottenham, North London
Awards
NLA Award for Masterplans and Area Strategies. Farm, Tottenham, North London.
At Beyond the Box, creating space for culture and community to connect is at the core of our work. Our collaborative project on Broadwater Farm Estate in Tottenham exemplifies this mission.
Beginning in Autumn 2020 and continuing throughout the pandemic, we worked with the youth community to co-design a series of creative and cultural workshops, events, and projects.
We commissioned five young residents from Broadwater Farm Estate to help shape the vision and mission of the project. Their goal was to celebrate the community's diverse stories and cultures and to change the narrative of Broadwater Farm Estate. This collaboration led to the creation of the Lost Blocks Collective in 2021.
We transformed a disused drying room on the fourth floor of one of the housing blocks into a podcast studio and creative space. The collective interviewed other residents and those connected to the estate to tell the often unheard stories of Broadwater Farm.
LOST BLOCKS COLLECTIVE
Podcast Series
Take time to hear from Dawn Ferdinand, the Headteacher of The Willow Primary School located on Broadwater Farm Estate. In this episode host Micheal and Dawn discuss the importance of education in the UK and why we should all know and understand our heritage.
Podcast Series
Lost Blocks member Elliesse sits down with Clasford Stirling MBE, an incredibly well-known community figure in Broadwater Farm who has worked with the youth on the estate since the 1980's. Clasford talks us through the history of the estate, highlighting a number of different community figures and detailing the incredible work of the Youth Association, which he helped formed.
Key Services Provided
Community Engagement: We facilitated the co-design of workshops, events, and projects with the youth community.
Creative Space Development: We converted a disused space into a functional podcast studio and creative area.
Historical Exploration: Organised a trip to the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in South London to explore the community’s histories.
Skills Development: Provided training in event planning, budgeting, marketing, fundraising, and practical skills such as setting up as self-employed, tax returns, and invoicing.
Media Project: Co-designed a week-long skills development program focused on the creative arts, collaborating with various artists and organisations.
Results and Impact
Empowerment: The youth collective gained new skills and confidence, enabling them to shape and tell their community's story.
Grant Secured: We helped the collective secure a £20,000 grant from Haringey Council’s Socio-economic Team for a new media project.
Creative Outputs: The skills program resulted in original music, art, photographic images, and poetry, which were showcased in an immersive exhibition.
Community Dialogue: The project opened up a dialogue among young people about their views, aspirations, and fears for the future of their community.
Highlights
Innovative Collaboration: The project involved partnerships with The Recordshop, photographer Brunel Johnson, art studio Bud Studios, poets Theresa Lola and Suli Breaks, and the Black Cultural Archives.
Immersive Exhibition: The exhibition, curated by the Lost Blocks Collective and Beyond the Box, explored the past, present, and future of Broadwater Farm Estate.
Panel Participation: Collective member Jasmine Love joined the Black Cultural Archives panel event ‘Uprisings! 40 years on: Policing and Demands.’
