How should V&A East tell the story of Robin Hood Gardens?
V&A East are interested in generating new conversations and approaches that invite practical responses to themes of social housing and community action. We are looking for young east-Londoners to take part in a free creative skills development programme responding to these themes through a series of workshops on film, photography, sound and public programming.
The programme is rooted in the story of Robin Hood Gardens, an estate in Poplar that has been undergoing demolition since 2017. A two-storey fragment from Robin Hood Gardens will be embedded in the V&A East Storehouse, and we have been working with former residents over the past year to uncover stories about life on the estate. Using these stories as a springboard, we are looking for young east Londoners to embark on a collaborative journey that responds to the current and future state of social housing in London and reconsider what it means for a public institution to represent social housing.
As a collective, you will develop new skills and work towards a co-produced piece that will be displayed at V&A East Storehouse alongside the Robin Hood Gardens installation opening in 2025. The programme will be a chance to work collaboratively with other young creatives and learn from leading influential figures in creative social reform. Established practitioners will provide mentorship throughout the project, with skill-based workshops spanning photography, film-making, performance and sound design. The group will work together to define the project output, but this could look something like:
- Film: A film exploring the lived experiences of residents, using oral histories to animate the tales and materials shared.
- Sound: A sound piece using oral histories and sound design to animate and interpret the Robin Hood Gardens installation
- Objects: A series of pieces developed responding to the urban environment or resident experiences
- Programming: A platform to showcase the breadth of the project, from co-creation to best practice.
Whether you’re just getting started on your creative journey or ready to refine your craft, we’re looking for individuals who are passionate and curious about responding to themes of urban environment, social advocacy or housing policy through collaborative creative practice.
The deadline for application is 23:59 Sunday 28 April. Apply via our form and read on for more information about the project.
What is Robin Hood Gardens?
Robin Hood Gardens is a social housing estate located in Poplar, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Known locally as ‘Robin Hood’, the estate was completed in 1972 and became home to thousands of residents over the course of its 50 standing years. Built to fulfil a need to accommodate London’s increasing population, Robin Hood Gardens represents an example of post-war Brutalist architecture comparable to the likes of the London’s Barbican Centre, Trellick Tower and Balfron Tower and Sheffield’s Park Hill Estate.
Arranged over two blocks of seven and ten storeys, architects Alison and Peter Smithson designed Robin Hood Gardens to combat the isolation of post-war high rise living. With flats that opened onto horizontal walkways known as ‘Streets in the Sky’, and pairs of doorways turned to face each other, the Streets in the Sky provided space for people to hang out without blocking the flow. Come rain, snow, or shine, the large grass hill in the central park supplied endless joy, forming the perfect launchpad for makeshift sledges in the snow, and just the right angle for basking in the sun.
In 2007, the estate was earmarked for redevelopment by Blackwall Reach Regeneration Project. Campaigns from residents, the local community, and the wider architectural community to protect the estate as a listed building were unsuccessful. Its eventual demolition began in 2017, sparking questions about why an estate, whose residents overwhelmingly favoured renovation over demolition, became the latest casualty in a long list of housing estates under threat from demolition.
The V&A acquired a two-storey section from the Western Block of Robin Hood Gardens estate in 2018, building on its large collection of architectural fragments. The section is now being installed in V&A East Storehouse, where visitors will be able to walk across the ‘Streets in the Sky’ and glimpse into flats 93 and 94. But the legacy of the Robin Hood Gardens extends far beyond the architectural and into the turmoil of today’s housing crisis.
Building on residents’ stories
Over the past year, we have been working with former residents of Robin Hood Gardens to uncover new aspects about life on the estate. The knowledge and expertise shared by residents will help to shape how we talk about Robin Hood Gardens and ensure that its legacy reflects the memories shared by those who lived on the estate.
These stories provide a lens through which we can reflect on community and social housing in east London and will be an anchoring resource throughout the Robin Hood project. We’re looking for a group of innovative young east-Londoners who are passionate about working together to reflect on the stories of Robin Hood through creative imaginings of community, city-making and what the future of social housing might look like.
Further Information
Where can I find out more about Robin Hood Gardens and other related projects?
More information about Robin Hood Gardens:
- ‘Regeneration!’ is a community outreach project developed by artist Jessie Brennan with former residents of Robin Hood Gardens estate. ‘Regeneration’ included an exhibition of drawings, photographs, conversations and a publication
- Mr Chuck,known for his insightful TikToks about London’s urban landscapes and brutalist architecture, introduces Robin Hood Gardens in its current state of demolition
- ‘Brutalism As Found: Housing, Form and Crisis at Robin Hood Gardens’ is an image and text exhibition by Nick Thoburn and Kois Miah, fore-fronting the lived experience of residents of Robin Hood Gardens in its final years before demolition.
Other relevant projects:
- ‘Living Together‘, part of ‘Mobile Museum’, a mobile archive developed by artist Verity-Jane Keefe that documents the memories and memorabilia of people living in estates in Barking and Daganham
- ‘A Bedroom For Everyone’, by filmmaker and researcher Ed Webb-Ingall responds to the current UK housing crisis, drawing on community video and the power of grassroots activism. The film is showing at Peer Gallery until 11 May 2024
- ‘Misty’, a theatre production written and performed by Arinzé Kene, explores the severe implications that gentrification in Hackney has on self and community relations
- ‘Lund Project’, a collaborative V&A East photography project that involved transforming the empty dwellings of the Carpenter Estate on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, engaging young cultural producers, local community residents, photographers and architects
What can I gain from the project?
- Exposure to leading artists and designers in the field of social advocacy and housing reform
- Inform the interpretation of Robin Hood Gardens fragment at V&A East Storehouse
- Develop collaboration, communication, creative and critical thinking skills with young creatives through a range of free skill-based workshops
- Additional opportunities to showcase your ideas through public programming
Who can apply?
We are looking to engage a cohort of young participants from east London. We particularly welcome applicants from under-represented backgrounds – working class, migrant, diasporic, LGBTQIA, global majority, low-income, neurodivergent and those who may have lived in social housing or have been affected by social housing reform.
Participants must be:
- Age 16-24 years old
- Currently living in Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney or Waltham Forest
- Interested in creating work or already creating work in photography, film, spoken word, or object-making
- Interested in working collaboratively as a group to respond to experiences of social housing, community
- Able to commit to the full programme
- Have the right to work in the UK from 1 May 2024
Programme duration and time commitment
The programme will take place over 6 months between May 2024 and October 2024.
The programme consists of 12 workshops. This will be one weekday evening workshop every two weeks over the duration of the programme. There will also be occasional offsite weekend activities.
Location
Workshops will be in-person in east London. The core workshops will take place in person on the Olympic Park. There will also be occasional offsite workshops held across other venues in east London.
Access
Please email us confidentially on va-east-engagement@vam.ac.uk to let us know if you a disability or have any access needs when applying for the programme. We will be happy to make any adjustments we can to assist you in the registration and recruitment process.
Experience and Qualifications
You do not need any qualifications to take part in Robin Hood.
We have designed the project to engage a mixed cohort with varying creative experience. You may be at the beginning of your creative career or have been practicing your preferred creative medium for up to three-years and are looking to refine your creative voice.
Project timeline
- Tuesday 2 April 2024: Registration opens
- Sunday 28 April 2024 (midnight): Registration closes
- May – October 2024: 12 workshops will take place in London
- Autumn 2024: Opportunity to showcase project
- Autumn 2024: Creative work installed at V&A East Storehouse
Apply
Please complete the application form by Sunday 28 April 2024 – before 23:59.
In the application form, you will be able to share key information about yourself, alongside any work you may have.
All information provided will be kept confidential by V&A and will be used for reporting purposes only for V&A and its partners. For more information, please see our privacy policy.
This post was updated on 12 April with an extension to the application deadline
