BuildHollywood

PlaySpace: Hackney Young Voices

Play is a universal human right: it’s how we explore the world, and it creates unique learning experiences for children and young people. Playspace is a vital initiative that champions this notion – we worked with them on an exciting project to bring the importance of creativity and play to wider audiences.

Working with thirty students from three selected educational zones in the borough of Hackney – William Patten Primary School, Stoke Newington School, and Shakespeare Walk Adventure Playground – the project saw young people develop ideas and designs that would be shared far and wide through large-scale billboard displays.

Through a series of creative after school sessions, the groups worked on deciding their themes, designs, and colour schemes, with each participant bringing a unique voice and identity to the project. The talent of the young people was evident from the start, with detailed sketches, humorous caricatures, and large-scale graffiti pieces coming out of the first session alone, ideas being formed and focused with advice from working artists and professionals throughout.

The final outcome was three collaborative artworks that explored what creativity meant to the groups, and the designs were displayed on large-scale billboards across Hackney for the community to enjoy. Supported by Hackney Council and developed with Queen Mary University, the project has been used to contribute towards research into the impact of creativity and play in educational settings, and also featured in a new documentary developed by Queen Mary University film students.