“This could change the shape of Eastbourne”
A project launched thanks to nearly £100,000 in National Lottery funding will kickstart a wave of creativity aimed at changing how the town centre Devonshire ward is perceived
By Rebecca Maer
An ambitious heritage project is getting under way in Eastbourne thanks to nearly £100,000 of National Lottery funding.
The Devonshire Collective (DC) cultural and community hub will be running events over the next 12 months to celebrate the stories of the Seaside neighbourhood.
The aim of the Discover, Celebrate, Grow programme will be to delve into the rich heritage of the largely Victorian Devonshire neighbourhood which has many landmark buildings, such as former cinemas and imposing halls.
The DC10 programme, to celebrate ten years of the Devonshire Collective, is funded by an award of £92,396 from The National Lottery Heritage fund.
It will include a journalism development programme, run in collaboration with the Eastbourne Reporter, through which four residents will research aspects of the area’s history. You can apply to DC to take part on this form.
Devonshire ward, just off the seafront east of the pier, is one of the most deprived areas of the country with many Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and social problems.
This area is deemed to be more deprived than most neighbourhoods in England: it is ranked 391 out of 33,755 neighbourhoods on the Government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation. It is the fourth most deprived council ward in East Sussex, behind three areas of Hastings.
The index takes into account factors including income, employment, education, health and crime.
But a wide range of events involving residents are aimed at creating new perspectives on the area and challenge existing stereotypes.
Devonshire Collective director Edward Ball said: “One of the things we are really keen to do is work with people who live here to tell the stories of the neighbourhoods that aren’t just stories saying: ‘it’s deprived’.
“It’s about how we can make the narrative about the neighbourhood that it’s really exciting and things happen here.
“Art and creativity are about imagining different possibilities or thinking differently. They are the perfect filter to tell a different story.
“We are talking about participatory art so taking part gives a sense of ownership and owning the story as well.”
Among the events are:
:: Storytelling walks by Jon Norman-Mason exploring local history, folklore and residents’ own narratives
:: Mapping the history of the Redoubt Napoleonic fortress with artist Nikki Tomlinson, who will research the structure's archive and co-create events that imagine its future
:: A journalism programme with Eastbourne Reporter to help four residents train as community researchers and write their own features about their chosen aspect of the area
:: Memories of home shared by children from refugee backgrounds, prompted by an investigation of local architecture
The Devonshire Collective started as a gallery and small learning programme funded by the Big Local programme for micro neighbourhoods as a way to improve Devonshire ward.
The Big Local funding scheme awarded £1 million each to 150 communities, where residents decided how to allocate funds. It ran from 2011 to this year.
Edward joined DC as director more than four years ago. He had been looking for opportunities for leadership and the Devonshire Collective looked like it had potential.
He said: “I grew up in Felixstowe so I felt I had an instinct for working in a seaside community. Devonshire Collective had an interesting programme with emerging artists and a grassroots approach.”
The collective has a remit to support artists within Sussex who are at a key stage in their career.
It does this through commissions, a moving image network for people working in film and video, creating a hub for artists, and inspiring children and young people with regular learning programmes.
“Heritage is a big developing area for us. We want to work in a place-based way. We ask: how could we benefit the neighbourhood?” said Edward.
“We spend a lot of time at grassroots level here and it has a really interesting urban fabric, full of well-preserved architecture.”
He sees the legacy as being a shift in how the neighbourhood is talked about for the people who live there and those who visit.
“It could change the shape of Eastbourne – I hope it encourages more people to take part in creativity.
“It is a real opportunity for us to do much more and be around for the long term. Our rich heritage could slip away if we’re not careful.”
DC also wants to understand the architecture and spaces in the ward and new possibilities in the area.
The collective is currently based at two sites: the Volt gallery in Seaside Road and a separate learning space a short distance further east.
It is looking to move in the coming years to one site combining learning, community and exhibition spaces and will research and scope different possibilities throughout the Discover, Celebrate, Grow project.
DC receives 30% of its funding from the Arts Council and other funding from youth programmes and local funds.
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