Open Plan was a long-term public art and learning programme that took place from 2017 to 2024. The South London Gallery collaborated with residents of Elmington, Pelican, and Sceaux Gardens housing estates, all located nearby to the gallery. Open Plan involved 4 key strands: Art Block, Artist Commissions, Community Celebrations and employment opportunities for local young people.
ART BLOCK
Art Block was established as a free after-school club on Sceaux Gardens Estate where local young people and children could make things, be creative, and play. From 2017-2024 Art Block engaged over 380 children and delivered 1000+ sessions.
Art Block continues today. Find out more about the current Art Block programme.
ARTIST COMMISSIONS
Taking place across Elmington, Pelican, and Sceaux Gardens housing estates, residents collaborated with international artists to create ambitious site-specific projects, from audio installations to a permanent artist-designed playground.
Commissions included:
- Kneed, Art Block Ecologies (2024)
- Pardip Kapil, Pelican Party (2024)
- YARA + DAVINA, Goals (2023)
- Seyi Adelekun, The Diaspora Gardens: Watering Connections (2023)
- Nooma, Flying the Pelican (2022)
- Something & Son, Exercises in Freedom (2022)
- Rumpus Room, Playing for the Future (2021)
- Celine Condorelli, Tools for Imagination (2021)
- Bank Holiday Broadcast (2020)
- Danh Vo, Untitled (2019)
- Mai Omer, PlayClaim (2019)
- Danh Vo, Noguchi Play Sculpture (2019)
- John Macedo, Elmington Stories (2019)
- Victoria-Idongesit Udondian, Àdápé (2019)
- Keg De Souza, Convivial City (2019)
- Basim Magdy, PINGPINPOOLPONG, or How I Learned to Laugh at Failure (2018)
- Gabriel Lester, Trek (2018)
- Angélica Teuta, Emotional Architecture (2018)
- John Macedo, My Life Over Here (2018)
- Morag Myerscough, The Club Under My House (2017)
COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS
Open Plan featured regular events at SLG and on neighbouring estates, including an annual resident’s summer party that brought together SLG staff and residents from all three estates to meet and connect.
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
Open Plan included a traineeship scheme which offered 6 young people a full-time year-long paid placement in the Art Block team. Over twenty residents also gained regular paid work and skills training as members of the Art & Play team, with many continuing to work on delivering after-school sessions at Art Block.
RESEARCH AND LEARNINGS
Find out more about Open Plan through the publication Open Plan: Contemporary Art in Communities and the evaluation report by Shared Intelligence.
Our Resident’s Programme, Open Plan, was supported by Freelands Foundation, with additional funds from other donors.
