‘We need more events like this to bring communities together’
Devising a way to bring the broadest cross-section of people into the design, development and delivery of each of our projects has been integral to our work since the beginning.
Our definition of community embraces all the people from the many walks of life that have an investment in the work and who become part in some way of what we are doing
‘Fantastic really in depth, I loved it and so did all my family’
People we engage with include:
- those connected by locality; local residents, local businesses, local interest groups
- those connected by current experiences linked to and taking place on the site or connected to the theme in some way
- those linked by past experiences of the site/theme
- those with specialist knowledge of the site/theme
- those inspired by the work and keen to be involved
and anyone else who gets involved that doesn’t fit the above!
Through this open approach, where everyone has something to offer, people whose voices aren’t usually heard or listened to find they have a say, as well as many who might not otherwise get involved in the arts.
A really important aspect of the process is the incredible cross-fertilisation of experience and knowledge between groups that might never normally encounter each other.
‘Really interesting being from another country and hearing what kids did during and after the war compared to other cultures’
We aim to transform the way that we engage with and perceive the environment in which we live by; inspiring us all to re-discover and re-connect with people and place, transforming perceptions and empowering individuals and groups, encouraging people to engage with ‘the arts’ and opening up the shaping of an artistic work, providing opportunities for skill development and resource sharing and promoting positive social change.
‘A cup of tea and a yap and you can put the world to rights’
As well as our own arts event and production related community work we also deliver stand alone creative engagement projects tailored to suit the specific needs of a group, site or issue.
‘It made me see the landscape and interact with it in a completely different and creative way’
If you are interested in bringing us in to develop or deliver a creative engagement please contact: rachel@partexchangeco.org.uk
‘It was great, I’d love to do that all over again’