View from our studio at Omega Centre, Portsmouth
We have teamed up with Aspex art gallery in Portsmouth and artist Abi Gilchrist for a creative investigation of Somerstown, the neighbourhood around Delta Arts’ studio.
Somerstown continues to be the subject of public regeneration schemes seeking to tackle deprivation on many fronts. While these interventions can have a transformative impact on the neighbourhood many people see unfortunate stigmatising side-effects.
We hope to avoid, or even address, some of these pitfalls with an informal approach of talking to neighbours individually, looking at Somerstown in the eyes of people who live and work there. Many residents do small things to make this a better place for local people, such as cooking, gardening, caring, and through social groups.
In our Grassroots-funded project, ‘A Welcome To Those Who Come’, we are talking to local volunteers who would like to challenge external perceptions of Somerstown by talking about their personal talents, passions and local knowledge.
