Case studies: Beyond the Campus
Community Development and HE: Southbank Mosaics and a new model for training socially engaged artists
Southbank Mosaics is an open artisan studio and training centre in the premier cultural estate of London at the South Bank. The studio’s aim is to make the concrete streets of the neighbourhood more attractive and keep people out of prison as part of their social entreprise programs. As a training centre, mosaic and heritage skills are taught to the highest standards. Since Southbank Mosaics was set up ten years ago, the evidence of quality can be seen in over 250 installations in the public realm, mostly in the centre of London. The studio has, for example, created the first quarter of a city dedicated to an artist: Blake’s Lambeth, with 70 of William Blake’s works turned into mosaics transforming five dull tunnels leading out of Waterloo station into bright, safe and welcoming street exhibitions.
Set up by volunteers, Southbank Mosaics has won over 20 awards and currently has 8 paid members of staff supervising sessions for school and university students, young people in trouble with the police, team building days for businesses, adults taking specialised mosaic courses, well-being sessions for individuals referred through the health service and open sessions where artists and volunteers can work together to improve the character and detail of London’s public spaces. |
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Southbank Mosaics SBM as Social Entreprise Queenhithe Dock Heriatage Project Press coverage: SE1 United |
The studio’s current action plan is to install a major work of mosaic art onto the wall of Queenhithe Dock by the end of the year. The dock is on the north bank of the river Thames and the place out of which medieval London grew. It is a scheduled ancient monument and has attracted support from English Heritage and the City of London Corporation. Working alongside archaeologists and historians the aim is to uplift a neglected site and create a sense of place with a spectacular timeline made out of mosaic that reveals the depth of history, as well as mosaics’ potential to enliven our shared space.
The studio currently has students from both Kings College London and the University of Connecticut helping with the project, as well as an expected 200 volunteers from many walks of life. The type of work ranges from collecting, cleaning and dating tile out of the river Thames, to be used in date order along the edges of the mosaic; designing and making the mosaic with headline themes; researching the history of Queenhithe Dock to ensure details are relevant; writing a book about the project; making a film record of the various teams at work leading up to the final installation.
There continue to be sessions for school children with accredited courses being taken. Also the University of Connecticut students are making a trail of “swallow mosaics” being produced at the studio. These are usually placed into grotty public spaces in London, and the UConn students will record their location and add to them. Other swallow mosaics are being placed around the world by Southbank Mosaics' international volunteers who make one to install in a rundown spot in their home town. The swallows symbolise freedom and responsibility (they carry no passport, luggage or food, they fly wherever they want and leave no pollution or strife behind). This, as the studio's director David Tootill claims, remind us of how much better we can do with our urban landscape.
After conducting in-depth research and holding several consultations with mosaic practitioners, conservators and academics in the fields of Roman Art (Department of Classics at King’s College London) and Fine Art Practice (City & Guilds London), Southbank Mosaics are currently planning to open the London School of Mosaic. They are looking for a dilapidated unoccupied building in the centre of London, which they will transform into a small independent university. This will allow them to expand their operations and deliver a diploma and foundation degree course in Mosaic, something which has never happened before. David Tootill sees a clear gap in the market for this versatile and architecturally integral medium, which has the potential to create new jobs aimed at making our neighbourhoods more attractive and communities stronger. Courses will include aspects of philosophy, psychology and economics that will be unique and based on the experience of the studio over the past decade.
The studio currently has students from both Kings College London and the University of Connecticut helping with the project, as well as an expected 200 volunteers from many walks of life. The type of work ranges from collecting, cleaning and dating tile out of the river Thames, to be used in date order along the edges of the mosaic; designing and making the mosaic with headline themes; researching the history of Queenhithe Dock to ensure details are relevant; writing a book about the project; making a film record of the various teams at work leading up to the final installation.
There continue to be sessions for school children with accredited courses being taken. Also the University of Connecticut students are making a trail of “swallow mosaics” being produced at the studio. These are usually placed into grotty public spaces in London, and the UConn students will record their location and add to them. Other swallow mosaics are being placed around the world by Southbank Mosaics' international volunteers who make one to install in a rundown spot in their home town. The swallows symbolise freedom and responsibility (they carry no passport, luggage or food, they fly wherever they want and leave no pollution or strife behind). This, as the studio's director David Tootill claims, remind us of how much better we can do with our urban landscape.
After conducting in-depth research and holding several consultations with mosaic practitioners, conservators and academics in the fields of Roman Art (Department of Classics at King’s College London) and Fine Art Practice (City & Guilds London), Southbank Mosaics are currently planning to open the London School of Mosaic. They are looking for a dilapidated unoccupied building in the centre of London, which they will transform into a small independent university. This will allow them to expand their operations and deliver a diploma and foundation degree course in Mosaic, something which has never happened before. David Tootill sees a clear gap in the market for this versatile and architecturally integral medium, which has the potential to create new jobs aimed at making our neighbourhoods more attractive and communities stronger. Courses will include aspects of philosophy, psychology and economics that will be unique and based on the experience of the studio over the past decade.
Interview with David Tootill, Director at Southbank Mosaics
How did the link between your organisation and University of Connecticut (UConn) emerge?
UConn representatives approached us as potential partners five years ago, to take two cohorts of students each year on a Global Citizenship Course. We have worked with them since the start of their course. UConn were looking for work experience which gave students an in-depth understanding of the communities which make up metropolitan London, as a practical way of developing a sense of responsibility for others and understanding of strengths or weaknesses of how London manages to thrive. By engaging with charities, students have an entree into a critique of current systems, as the charities usually are trying to find an answer to something that has gone wrong. The number of students UConn have varies and they attend several charities within London. We normally have between one and four students with us for the autumn and spring terms.
How do UConn students benefit from what they learn at your organisation in terms of their academic curriculum and professional ambitions?
The students come from a range of backgrounds, studying many different subjects (i.e. from medicine, law, science or humanities). They have to complete set course work for the Global Citizenship course, so they use our practice as a subject for their research. They often say they are grateful for having an opportunity to work with the different groups we reach out to: young people in trouble with the police, homeless people, those suffering physical and mental impairment, as well as local residents, whom they would not normally meet as visitors to London.
I also deliver a course for them about street art which includes our rationale for providing an alternative to custody for offenders and then visiting some of the sites where we have installations. We link streets to history and aim to civilise and decorate public spaces. The Uconn students help us with making and installing the mosaics, so several of them have their names on the streets, as participants of our project and they think this is “pretty cool.” In terms of learning something for their professional ambitions, I would say we hope they understand there are many different ways to approach social complexities and we can provide them with examples of different ways to do things and organise ourselves. I hope we give them evidence of why it is good to have a critical attitude to “norms” and our current approaches to human problems.
UConn representatives approached us as potential partners five years ago, to take two cohorts of students each year on a Global Citizenship Course. We have worked with them since the start of their course. UConn were looking for work experience which gave students an in-depth understanding of the communities which make up metropolitan London, as a practical way of developing a sense of responsibility for others and understanding of strengths or weaknesses of how London manages to thrive. By engaging with charities, students have an entree into a critique of current systems, as the charities usually are trying to find an answer to something that has gone wrong. The number of students UConn have varies and they attend several charities within London. We normally have between one and four students with us for the autumn and spring terms.
How do UConn students benefit from what they learn at your organisation in terms of their academic curriculum and professional ambitions?
The students come from a range of backgrounds, studying many different subjects (i.e. from medicine, law, science or humanities). They have to complete set course work for the Global Citizenship course, so they use our practice as a subject for their research. They often say they are grateful for having an opportunity to work with the different groups we reach out to: young people in trouble with the police, homeless people, those suffering physical and mental impairment, as well as local residents, whom they would not normally meet as visitors to London.
I also deliver a course for them about street art which includes our rationale for providing an alternative to custody for offenders and then visiting some of the sites where we have installations. We link streets to history and aim to civilise and decorate public spaces. The Uconn students help us with making and installing the mosaics, so several of them have their names on the streets, as participants of our project and they think this is “pretty cool.” In terms of learning something for their professional ambitions, I would say we hope they understand there are many different ways to approach social complexities and we can provide them with examples of different ways to do things and organise ourselves. I hope we give them evidence of why it is good to have a critical attitude to “norms” and our current approaches to human problems.
What is the relationship between your organisation and local
universities? Have these academic links helped you in developing a
business plan for the opening of London School of Mosaic?
Our nearest universities are Kings College London and London South Bank University, both of whom we have positive working relationships with. Both send students to work with us as volunteers and both have conducted some research with us. Kings are giving us advice and guidance on how to set up The London School of Mosaic. We’ve also had links with Goldsmiths, Camberwell, St Martin’s, Kingston, University College, Imperial College, London College of Communications, London Business School and generally we’re very receptive to working with students and welcoming them as researchers and volunteers.
How are you planning to collaborate with local universities?
I want us to collaborate with the University of the Arts, so they validate our Mosaic Foundation Degree and we become one of their colleges. However, this is likely to take some time. We also want to have students who graduate from us, go on to post graduate courses at Kings and University Colleges in their restoration and conservation courses. In general terms we will continue to provide to work with students who volunteer with us, coming from many different backgrounds and colleges within the London area.
What skills and values can students and academics learn at your organisation, that they do not otherwise learn within the formal settings of a university?
Students gain hands on experience of practical work to make London more attractive. They can learn about cooperation with a range of groups, working around a common purpose. They practice artisan skills which are useful as a hobby, or for do-it-yourself home improvements. Those who are on mosaic history courses, also gain a unique understanding of the difficulties and qualities of mosaic, through the experience of making one for themselves. It brings the theoretical study into life. We are also able to give those who volunteer with us references if they require. Students can also help with our internal research procedures which always need to be updated, improved and the data collected and processed. On a community and human level, we provide a safe learning environment where they can meet others, network and exchange ideas.
(edited by Silvie Jacobi)
Our nearest universities are Kings College London and London South Bank University, both of whom we have positive working relationships with. Both send students to work with us as volunteers and both have conducted some research with us. Kings are giving us advice and guidance on how to set up The London School of Mosaic. We’ve also had links with Goldsmiths, Camberwell, St Martin’s, Kingston, University College, Imperial College, London College of Communications, London Business School and generally we’re very receptive to working with students and welcoming them as researchers and volunteers.
How are you planning to collaborate with local universities?
I want us to collaborate with the University of the Arts, so they validate our Mosaic Foundation Degree and we become one of their colleges. However, this is likely to take some time. We also want to have students who graduate from us, go on to post graduate courses at Kings and University Colleges in their restoration and conservation courses. In general terms we will continue to provide to work with students who volunteer with us, coming from many different backgrounds and colleges within the London area.
What skills and values can students and academics learn at your organisation, that they do not otherwise learn within the formal settings of a university?
Students gain hands on experience of practical work to make London more attractive. They can learn about cooperation with a range of groups, working around a common purpose. They practice artisan skills which are useful as a hobby, or for do-it-yourself home improvements. Those who are on mosaic history courses, also gain a unique understanding of the difficulties and qualities of mosaic, through the experience of making one for themselves. It brings the theoretical study into life. We are also able to give those who volunteer with us references if they require. Students can also help with our internal research procedures which always need to be updated, improved and the data collected and processed. On a community and human level, we provide a safe learning environment where they can meet others, network and exchange ideas.
(edited by Silvie Jacobi)