Art in the Park: Community Arts & Documentary Photography Masterclass

For Newham Heritage Month 2022, Art in the Park is revisiting the Cultural Olympiad and its heritage working with a group of young people from Newham. The aim is to bring awareness to the cultural Olympiad, the incredible breadth of cultural events that took place surrounding the London Olympics of 2012, and to offer training and activities so participants can access more opportunities in the cultural sector.

Sticker shows the symbol of the Cultural Olympiad 2012 in London. At the back you can see the ArcelorMittal Orbit

It kicked off with a one-day Masterclass on Saturday 7th May 2022 at Stratford Library, in which the group took part in training and had the opportunity to exchange and learn new skills in community arts organising, documentary photography and how to organise an engaging arts tour.

The masterclass was delivered by community artists Sylvia Morgado and Sylvie Belbouab. They showed the group case studies of projects they have delivered together, such as the commission that informed what the local community wanted to see in the Blossom Gardens, an area of the Queen Elizabeth Park that commemorates the lives lost from coronavirus and that honours key workers.

Morgado talked to the group about community arts organising and invited everyone to share their views on the topic. She presented case studies and showed projects of other artists that inspire her and shared techniques for delivering engaging tours and art workshops. She also gave the group an exercise in which they had to exchange words to make what she calls a ‘poem-collage’ responding to the theme.

In the documentary photography workshop, Belbouab used photographs to open up discussions and a way of introducing themselves to each other. Participants then got to try cameras and practise photography skills. 

Tour, poetry writing and performance

On Saturday 19th of June, the group will gather together to go on a tour of the Olympic Park. Each one of us is choosing a sculpture or artwork commissioned for the 2012 Games to research and share information about it with the group. It will be followed by a poetry writing workshop inspired by the tour, closing with a public performance to celebrate our work – all at the Timber Lodge. 

In the meantime, they are visiting museums and galleries in London – some of these spaces for the first time – so they can learn more and practice for the delivery, which will be a devised tour of the sculptures that mingle with the landscape of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.  

If you haven’t heard of the Cultural Olympiad yet, we suggest you have a look at our other records in the NHM’s website and to join us commemorating its 10th anniversary on Sunday 19th of June for what promises to be an electrifying poetry performance!