’The Shape Shed’ - Summer workshops for a community in transition.

Families and friends made this colourful sculpture from waste building materials.

Based in a disused site cabin on a major redevelopment site. This one week residency and open workshop provided a positive focus for local people affected by the building works.

The daily sessions were open to all comers and soon became a busy creative environment of experimentation and collaboration.

Polypipe play
We worked behind Heras fencing whilst the building work took place around us.

We worked behind Heras fencing whilst the building work took place around us.

Developing a a circle theme with waste water and gas pipe.

Developing a a circle theme with waste water and gas pipe.

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Drilling holes to receive the blue pipe. Families worked together.

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Weaving pipe insulation.

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Learning how to use tools.

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Concentration.

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Staff from the housing association also took part.

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The tree stood up through out the two week of workshop.

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We used waste materials from the construction site and plaster of Paris to experiment and improvise colourful constructions and sculptures.

Plaster casting
The project brought all ages together.

The project brought all ages together.

Parents worked with their children to make sand cast plaster sculptures.

Parents worked with their children to make sand cast plaster sculptures.

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Preparing clay moulds for plaster casting.

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Children showed their parents how to mix plaster.

Preparing a mould using various clay squares.

Preparing a mould using various clay squares.

Removing clay from the cast plaster block.

Removing clay from the cast plaster block.

Barbara Nicholls working with plaster inside the shed.

Barbara Nicholls working with plaster inside the shed.

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Plaster casts.

Plaster casts.

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Construction
High rise construction, from a pack of bamboo and tape.

High rise construction, from a pack of bamboo and tape.

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Constructing with wood.

Constructing with wood.

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After the workshops we arranged a couple of outings, to see an exhibition at Kew and monuments in Hyde Park.

Day Trips
A group from the Shape Shed visited Kew Gardens to see the exhibition of glass sculptures by Chihuly.

A group from the Shape Shed visited Kew Gardens to see the exhibition of glass sculptures by Chihuly.

On a second outing we visited The Albert Memorial in Hyde Park.

On a second outing we visited The Albert Memorial in Hyde Park.

Peter Pan sculpture.

Peter Pan sculpture.

We compared the styles of Albert’s and Diana’s memorials.

We compared the styles of Albert’s and Diana’s memorials.

The barriers around the different memorials became a focus for discussion.

The barriers around the different memorials became a focus for discussion.

The Diana fountain had a makeshift fence erected around it.

The Diana fountain had a makeshift fence erected around it.

Albert Memorial

Albert Memorial

We discussed the representations of different races on the Albert Memorial.

We discussed the representations of different races on the Albert Memorial.

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Chalkhill, Wembley, North West London. 2005. Funded by Metropolitan Home Ownership housing association (now ‘Metropolitan’).
The project was enhanced by assistance of artist colleagues: Phil Coy, Joanna Sands, Stephen Stockbridge.