Exhibitions
Tidal Dreams
Drop anchor! Come dip your toe in the briney!
Indulge your sense and imagination!
Tidal Dreams was a three week exhibition of our findings as part of our consultation process; marketing the idea that we do have a namesake we were at the Paradise Street temporary Bluecoat Arts Centre space, Out of the Bluecoat which is right on beach of the tidal pool would have been.
The event was well attended with people dropping in attracted by the polythene bags full of water hanging in the window.
We arranged a well publicized series of walks, fun days and discussions.
We went out on the street discussing our changing city centre, our heritage, family life, architecture and public realm, and the environmental decisions being made by the huge developments and how they affected us the citizen.
On the last day we had a party to pull all the strands together. We quickly realized that it did not matter if we were Jo Bloggs are a highly paid executive change was happening too rapidly for us to even know let alone grasp how decisions could impact seriously on our health wealth and wellbeing.
There were many stories but very little understanding of the facts
were migrant workers being brought in to reduce the rate of pay on city centre building sites?
Were workers denied access to vote for workers meetings?
What did it mean to close a road,?
How could it be guaranteed that the area be managed for 300 years by the lease holders?
How would the rest of the city survive the changes how would it need to change to survive the impact of such massive developments both of accommodation and shopping?
What is the city policy for pedestrians and cars now the tram appears to have gone?
How can we tell people that we like it like it is; small, walkable, knowing lots of people.
How can we become sustainable without better support from the council
Why is it so difficult for individuals to get anything done these days?
Is all the building making us less sustainable?
How are the costs we have to bear for these developments compare with the very different costs and investment in becoming a major sustainable city?
And iconic sustainable city for everyone as opposed to an iconic shopping city for those who can afford it maybe coming in from Cheshire.
Are we still shrinking?
Why cant we have mixed development like old towns had?
It would be interesting to meet people from one of these cities growing at the moment and tell them it is possible to get smaller again.
All schools should teach about the cities history and what ordinary people have done and children should go for history walks like these.
Thank you to:
Bluecoat, Frank, Peter, Dr.Robert, Sarah Jane and Tayo Aluko
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