Window of Change

By Buzz Hub - St Helens Coalition of Disabled People

The young people worked with the wonderful Artist Emmer Winder to explore the dearth of green spaces in our town centre, how technology has developed and how Artificial Intelligence has shaped the way we use our town centre. They took time to document and notice how our town looks and could look. 

The group began by creating bricks which represent the harshness of manmade structures. They began the process of reclaiming this space visually by inserting the names of key figures from St Helens into the bricks, which were then turned into a beautiful planter holding the tree of hope. They also created screen printed protest boards about reclaiming the urban landscape and returning to nature. They embellished photographs of the town with floral vibrance. Illustrations of some of the key figures were drawn. Poetry was written and performed to go alongside these visual creative statements. 

The group shared their eclectic work through an exhibition of artwork in an empty shop – inspiring them to create the project name. The exhibition included an interactive growth garden, charity badges for sale with all donations going to charity and ‘Acts of kindness’ -  glass-inspired bugs that were delicately created and hidden around the town centre for visitors to find and add to the growth garden. 

 These pieces show deep thinking that took place whilst the art work was being created.