Monday 22nd February meeting

Yesterday I went to my first meeting at the Biennial centre were I met Paul Kelly, and was introduced to Franny George who are both involved in the 'On the Street' project which kicks off in Spring 2010, the project deals head-on with issues in the Anfield and Breckfield regeneration zones of North Liverpool, which will be delivered over 3 years or more. The aim is to engage young people aged between 11 and 17, who are not currently engaged in education, employment or training, through a series of artist/architect interventions to develop an alternative, young persons 'masterplan' for the area.

I myself was born and live in the area of Anfield, so it was a pleasant surprise for Paul & Franny when I told them of this because it means that I know and understand the area just as well as the young people themselves do, in a sense I can relate to them and communicate on the same level and understand what they are talking about and appreciate their opinions and views.

I am proud to be involved in a project that's at the heart of where I live, it was great being able to discuss ideas that originate from my experiences and memory's of childhood in the area. It made me wish i was young again so that I could picture the ideas in my mind as an excited child would, rather than a rational thinking adult who's main concerns are orientated around production costs and deadlines. However I am still excited by the ideas discussed and I am eager to get involved in the coming weeks/months.

"On the Street intends to contribute positively to the neighbourhoods of Anfield and Breckfield economically, environmentally and socially. It will assist with the development of sustainable communities by providing the tools needed to help young people improve their chances in life. The project will also aspire to tackle social cohesion issues, re-connecting the young people with their community and engaging them in productive discussions about the future of the area where they live, ultimately, improving the urban environment and future thinking."

"The work produced will result in a high profile and visible intervention within Anfield and Breckfield, temporarily making creative use of redundant buildings and land within the neighbourhood."

A link to a video that the young people made with Ed Purver in October last year.

http://www.vimeo.com/7817288

"I just got back from Liverpool where I had a fantastic 10 days working on a short video with some young people from Anfield. I’ve proposed a site-specific video installation with the ‘On The Street’ program of the Liverpool Biennial, and the purpose of this last visit was to create some renderings to visualize what this installation might look like.

Anfield, like some other neighborhoods in Liverpool, has rows of disused housing, that have been standing empty for years, and I am proposing to evolve something related to my previous project ‘There are giants in my building…", in collaboration with local young people and with the Liverpool Biennial. The video installation will be called 'In Residence'.

We had a very quick shoot, probably a total of 6 hours over two days, and then a two day turnaround for me on postproduction. A rush, but enough time to produce some sketches". - Ed Purver

Stills from the video made by Ed Purver and the young people from Anfield.

During the brief 30 minute meeting I found that I was surprisingly clear and confidant when it came to discussing my ideas and thoughts, I felt that I was able to talk about my myself without the discomfort usually associated with meeting new people and being in new surroundings. I feel that this placement could offer me a good vehicle for self reflection which will give me an opportunity to discuss my personal progression with someone other than University tutors and classmates.