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In 2006 Hull City Council and the Gateway Pathfinder published a renewal assessment for the Newington and St Andrews (NaSA) neighbourhood in West Hull. This assessment noted rapid, serious decline in the NaSA area and a priority for regeneration. In March 2008 ARC, the architecture centre for Hull and the Humber region, commissioned three artists to engage with the area and create their personal representations of the area, a process defined as ‘psycho-geography’ or 'the study of how a place feels’.
Theresa Smith of Mooch worked alongside artists Jenny Savage and Chris Dobrowolski in creating various interpretations of this process. In revealing the character of NaSA, Theresa identified 12 questions that had specific connections with this region. These were printed onto 3000 drinks mats and distributed around 15 different venues; primary schools, cafes, pubs and community centres.
The process was designed to enable people to respond in a spontateous and un-policed way. This method attempted to reach those not previously captured in consultation processes and presented a broad selection of issues that could connect to all age groups.
Many hundreds of responses were collated and exhibited at the Carnegie Library, Hull in June 2008. Each group of mats was exhibited according to the participating venue and on a stylised map of NaSA that indicated the location. In curating this work, a broad representation of the views offered was maintained, some of these views were challenging, some were wonderfully creative, others just downright funny. Humour and wit were alongside bitterness and anger and an outlet was offered for all views.
Theresa selected 12 responses from the many returned and printed these as snapshot of the spirit of place, returning a set of these keepsakes to the participating venues and the people who made the work possible.
The beermats set out for the exhibition at Carnegie Library
Some of the brilliant responses, the Amy Johnson one is priceless!
Children at St George's school get stuck in.
More creative, incisive ideas on the beermats
Blank mats out and about in Hull pubs
Another example of the "broad range" of responses
The mats were grouped according the location they were made
Private view evening at Carnegie Library for the exhibition