(L-R Back row): Isabel Lilly (Stream), Boz Temple Morris (Holy Mountain) (L-R Front row): Sue Whitman (local resident of East Greenwich), Nick Rainsford MP, Charles Medhurst (local resident of East Greenwich)
by Frances Morgan, Stream Arts
Greenwich residents got the chance to have their say about the local issues they care about in a special arts event at the East Greenwich Pleasaunce on Saturday 21 September.
An informal café setting with a ‘menu’ of topics prompted an afternoon of one-to-one discussions about matters ranging from parking to the Olympics.
The event formed part of Now Hear This, a project by sound/radio artists
Holy Mountain’s Boz Temple-Morris and Alistair McGregor spent the last few months collecting recorded despatches from residents, from which they devised the day’s menu. Rather than organise a public debate or forum, they chose to focus on the art of conversation, “allowing issues of importance to be considered in a fresh and interesting way,” says Boz.
It was a lively, well-attended day, with participants including Nick Rainsford MP, local Councillors and a representative of the local police. Helped along by good weather and a relaxed atmosphere, along with the warm welcome of the Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce, residents were keen to communicate with one another and make their voices heard.
All the day’s conversations were recorded, and Holy Mountain will be working with the material to create an original radio programme that will be broadcast in the next few months.
If you took part in the event and want to keep up to date with its progress, or if you want to find out more about Now Hear This and Stream’s other projects, check the Now Hear This and Stream websites for news and updates.
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