Past Projects
Celebrating local communities that champion access and wellbeing, artists from Kinetika delivered creative workshops where community members designed colourful flags representing their organisations. These designs were all brought together for an inclusive street parade, led by live music and each flag held by their makers as they danced through Valentine’s Park on a sunny bank holiday.
Led by Bradford artist Zareena Bano, children, adults, and families came together at Fairlop Waters to paint and design their own mugs and jewellery boxes alongside the beautifully decorated ‘Truck Art’ truck, celebrating culture, history, and heritage of South Asia.
We hosted a vibrant week of cultural food workshops at the newly opened Mercato Metropolitano Ilford. Led by food experts, community members explored global ingredients, learning to mix spices, understand herbal tea benefits, bake bread, temper chocolate, and make dumplings. Each day, we gathered personal stories about food and enjoyed lively performances from young alumni of ELAM.
Guided by Rambert’s community dance experts, retired and disabled individuals explored various dance styles, such as Indian dance, 70’s disco, social dance, rock and roll, and Caribbean dance, to enhance their wellbeing. Sessions were tailored for standing and chair-based participants. The project culminated in a day of flashmobs at the Exchange Shopping Centre, highlighting participants’ skill and love of dance.
Ken Aston Square came alive with a stunning Lantern Display, drawing over 600 people for an unforgettable evening. The parade featured lanterns decorated with beautiful Warli-inspired art, created by our community in free workshops led by Emergency Exit Arts. As night fell, the sky lit up in a spectacular display, celebrating the community spirit and diverse culture of Redbridge. The vibrant Kings of Dhol drumming brought the energy and added to the excitement, making it a night to remember.
Working with local artist, Erin Aniker, schools, community groups and care homes co-designed a mural that takes us on a journey through Redbridge’s history, from ancient discoveries to inventions and a glimpse into the future, showcasing the things we love and the stories that shaped the borough. The mural was painted by artists from Matchbox CIC with the help of community members.
Find out more here: https://coloursofredbridge.com/ilford-mural/
The Languages Café offered a taster into the diverse range of languages spoken in Redbridge. In the sessions, we explored languages like Punjabi, Tamil, Romanian, Bengali and British Sign Language (BSL). The café created a space for the community to connect, engage in friendly conversation, and learn something new together.
In collaboration with the Community Kite Project, we brought exciting kite flying opportunities to the borough. Held at Hainault Forest, participants decorated paper kites and then took them out to soar accompanied by large scale kite installations . It was a fantastic way to bring people together from all backgrounds, celebrating family, community, and outdoor fun.
In partnership with Caramel Rock, we offered a series of free workshops on upcycling clothing and garment design. These sessions, open to all, taught participants how to use sewing machines, cut garments, and style them. Each attendee developed their skills to the extent of making full outfits, which were then showcased on a community catwalk at the Exchange Ilford during Sustainable Fashion Week, featuring DJ Sandra Omari.
Community Stories
In the summer of 2023, we spoke to nearly 1,000 people in the borough of Redbridge to find out what they care about.
These conversations took place during 29 workshops called ‘Here We Share’ sessions. When we were busy listening to people’s stories, we shared something in return such as food, a memento or a fun activity.
We worked with some fantastic local organisations to reach people in our target areas of Ilford, Loxford, Hainault, Fullwell Cross and organisations supporting people with care and support needs.
We have found some common themes. This information will help to shape our programme so that, together, we can create better projects for our communities.
