In Peterborough, we explored Lincoln Road
Our Peterborough R&D project brought together a group of creative industry professionals to investigate Lincoln Road, a vibrant and diverse area of the city, with the aim of creating a project that would encourage more people to explore and experience all it has to offer.
The team, which consisted of artists, architects, software developers, designers, and makers, took part in a series of masterclasses and spent time exploring the area before working together to design and build the project. Stories gathered from residents, business owners, and community group leaders were printed onto cards. These were distributed to the public via seven shops and cafés along the road. Each business hosted a wifi-enabled lantern built by the team to specifically represent the business and its culture. The public were encouraged to collect story cards from each business and to connect to lanterns to access stories online at mylincolnroad.org.
The project culminated in a parade along Lincoln Road on Saturday 28 April, featuring live art, music, theatre, and poetry being performed from a mobile bandstand. This moving stage travelled from The Lounge to Chaiwalla. Crowds of people including entire families and groups of friends emerged from shops and cafés to enjoy this vibrant and unusual sight. Cars tooted and people danced to dhol drummers, sang with the sitar player and huddled under the awnings to watch street theatre outside Madina Grill, Sado Bar, and Carla’s Cafe. Comments included: ‘It was very nice to see the road used in this way’ and ‘We need more like this here.’
Visit the project website at mylincolnroad.org.
Artists
Maker team
Mark Richardson // Michael Duggan // Amanda Rigby // Faisal Bilal Hussain // Lee Mason // Adam Craggs // Aleksander Michonski // Paul Fox // Galya Georgieva Georgieva // Paper Rhino
Parade
The Percussionists // Mehboob Nadeem // Rhubarb Theatre // Cigdem Aslan // Zain Haider Awan // Red 7 productions
