The South Kilburn Project

Subscribers to our blog (thanks to all of you for subscribing!) will know that Brent Archives recently added a donation of material from the Workshop 24 project to our collections. You may also know that our current Community Gallery exhibition, on the history of the former Willesden Hospital, looks at the benefits of Art Therapy and Arts in Health programmes to people with mental health issues, and that Communicating Through Cats looks at how his art helped Louis Wain when he experienced difficulties with his own mental health.

We are therefore very pleased to tell you about a project which ran as part of the programme of Workshop 24 activities, and demonstrates the positive impact of Arts in Health on both local residents and the local area.

Brent Arts Therapies Service, in partnership with Emergence, has led an Arts in Health project as part of the South Kilburn Public Art programme. They commissioned two artists, Julie Bagwash and Tamar Whyte – who identify with Personality Disorder – to create a new artwork in collaboration with South Kilburn residents experiencing mental health difficulties.

Over 25 people were invited to take part in the workshops at the Workshop 24 space at Peel Precinct, and create unique handmade glass tiles that celebrated their creativity and aimed to increase self-esteem by teaching them a new skill.  Participants worked with a range of exciting and colourful materials that have produced some stunning work. The final artwork, ‘Building the Outside from the Inside’, incorporates the individual tiles and aims to reflect the positive values about living in South Kilburn, whilst making reference to the internal and external use of architectural spaces. You can view it yourself at the Salvation Army hall, Chichester Road, South Kilburn.

Brent Museum and Brent Archives are delighted to be able to tell you about this new public artwork, on behalf of Brent Art Therapies Team, one of our partner organisations. Pop by and take a look next time you’re in South Kilburn!

Posted by Kate.