Holly Lewis: Real Life Is Our Inspiration

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Holly Lewis: Real Life Is Our Inspiration
Holly Lewis: Real Life Is Our Inspiration

Video: Holly Lewis: Real Life Is Our Inspiration

Video: Holly Lewis: Real Life Is Our Inspiration
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Holly Lewis, co-founder of We Made That, gave a lecture “Reconstruction of Communities: A British Approach to Public Spaces” in early October during Strelka Institute Week in St. Petersburg. The lecture was supported by the British Council.

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Most of your projects are small in scale, but they completely transform the given territory, including the level of its economic and social sustainability. How did you develop your method? What was your inspiration for this?

- I think real life was our source of inspiration! We always realize that most of the townspeople do not notice things that architects can worry about, but at the same time, these same people notice a lot of things that architects do not care about - that the streets are untidy, or that there is something to do in the area. something interesting. It seems to us just common sense that creativity can be applied not only to physical intervention in the environment (hardware), but also to design urban "software" (software) - activities, events and economic programs. We are increasingly convinced that this method is applicable to a city on a large scale, as well as to local projects.

Исследование «Рабочее пространство художников», выполненное We Made That по заказу администрации Большого Лондона (с 2014). Цель – выяснить степень обеспечения художников доступными мастерскими © We Made That
Исследование «Рабочее пространство художников», выполненное We Made That по заказу администрации Большого Лондона (с 2014). Цель – выяснить степень обеспечения художников доступными мастерскими © We Made That
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Your projects are often about cooperation with local people, you listen to them and offer them a new point of view on the problem. How do you encourage people to work with you? In Russia, such participatory projects are often met by residents without enthusiasm, even apathetic

“I think the point is how you formulate what you do when you tell the locals about it. We have experienced apathy in the past, but now such cases are much more rare, as people believe us when we say that we came to find out their opinion and position. It is sometimes important to show your willingness to make a difference: quickly implement a small part of a long-term project or run a parallel program of events or workshops. For example, in Blackhorse Lane, we did a series of sold-out sign making workshops - and we were able to talk about broader changes in the area, and people saw that we could make them. They believed in the rest of the project through real action in the field, not just discussions.

We Made That. Зона Кройдон Саут Энд. Лондон. Фото © Jakob Spriestersbach
We Made That. Зона Кройдон Саут Энд. Лондон. Фото © Jakob Spriestersbach
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Basically, you work with traditional areas and existing main streets (high streets) that need regeneration. In the Russian context, most of the urban fabric was created in the 1950s - 1980s, according to the principles of modernism, and it is these areas that are the most depressed and problematic (city centers are much more prosperous). Is it possible, in principle, to give new life to large-scale post-war massifs, both housing and mixed development?

- Yes, definitely! We work with any type of context, including newer neighborhoods and housing estates. These areas do not have any birth defects that prevent them from being successful too. There is often talk of a fusion of socio-economic problems with spatial solution or architectural style, but I don't believe in that. An important part of our logic when working with the broader societal and economic context of our projects is that it is important for us to understand what exactly is happening in a given area and respond to it in a targeted, thoughtful way for this particular case.

What would you suggest for the former industrial zones of St. Petersburg?

- There can be no single solution. Obviously, it’s interesting at the Sevkabel Port and places like New Holland, but I don’t think you can open cultural centers and restaurants everywhere! I would ask the question "What does Petersburg need?" instead of "What can we do with these territories?" The Street Art Museum is a curious example of an original type of use that emerged from personal passion rather than logical inference. It is these objects that give the city its own face and make it interesting. The former St. Petersburg industrial zones are large and different, and it would be great if their future is as colorful and diverse as these factories look now.

We Made That. Зона Блекхорс-лейн. Лондон. Фото © Jakob Spriestersbach
We Made That. Зона Блекхорс-лейн. Лондон. Фото © Jakob Spriestersbach
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When you are working on the creation or reconstruction of a public space, what do you care about first of all?

- These are the usual problems: how do we deal with traffic, how to make it safe … But for us it is always more interesting to ask the question "How does this suit this particular place?" We find out with the help of an extremely detailed study of the site, extensive work with stakeholders, technical analysis. It is very difficult to figure out how to react to the nature of the space so that the locals are proud of the final version of the project, but at the same time it is the most rewarding job.

What, in your opinion, are the most effective measures for transforming a street, square or park, especially if the budget is limited?

- I have no standard answer! We used a whole range of tactics, depending on the location we were working on. This could be a new kiosk, a notice board, renovating the facades of surrounding buildings, or planting new trees. What I would like to say is that often a few small "interventions" are more effective than a larger vanity project. In general, we usually do not know what measures to choose until we study the situation very carefully!

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