New Wortley: A Community in Lockdown

N E W T h e

W O R T L E Y

H i g h r i s e

P r o j e c t

A Community in Lockdown NEW WORTLEY The New Wortley project took place in May 2021, a year later than intended, due to continued lockdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike our projects from earlier in the year, this was the first one we were able to run safely in person.

Our initial intentions were to capture life in and around social housing through working with local residents. However, it soon became clear that many people in the community were disproportionately affected by isolation and lack of access to outside spaces, so the conversation often turned to the residents' experiences of the pandemic.

Their photographs, words, and images focused on the way the community had worked together to help each other, overcome difficulties, and survive through a time of national crisis. They spoke about old and new friends and their hopes for better communities in the future.

Last year we had the road map. Now we have the traffic lights. This is how it’s going to work, stop, start going from one tier to another. Last year felt like we were constantly going round in circles. For some people it was really terrible.

Maybe we can recycle the rubbish from last year into something positive.

We are in this together.

When you are going through something like this, you feel on your own and isolated.

You might not have seen someone for two days so to see your neighbour putting the bin out, its uplifting.

I'd never spoken to my neighbour before but now we stand around chatting like we’re old friends.

We’ve lived on the same street for the past ten years but it didn’t feel like that because everybody would be up at 7 o'clock to go out to work and then come back and just watch TV. Now we’ve been at home most of the time so we’ve made friends with the neighbours when before we didn't even know their names.

There is a fella who lives near me.

Since I moved in he's been so helpful with everything. It's a lot better than before.

There's now an orchard in the flats. The kids will have somewhere to play.

I think they should do that everywhere.

Flats can be pretty soulless sometimes.

We've got greenery around but there are always signs saying 'You can’t do this, you can’t do that.'

Greenery doesn’t make up for that.

There's work going on in my block at the minute.

Sprinklers being fitted and workmen drilling on the roof. I can't get away from it.

When I first moved in they said I could bring my cat with me but now they’re umming and ahhing about whether I'm allowed to keep her even though I'm on the ground floor.

She’s my only company.

It would be like heaven to be able to sit in my own garden because I don’t have one. I visit my family in their garden and I’m like 'Do I have to go home now?'

I believe that we are a community and that depends on us helping each other and being conscientious.

If we could have community hubs in the flats, it would help a lot of people with mental health issues.

Why dont they put these things in the park?

Like picnic benches to get people outside.

It'd be nice if they design little parks outside the flats for exercise, like green gyms.

There could be a charity shop on the ground floor of the flats. That would benefit everyone. In Leeds city centre the highrise buildings always have something at the bottom: a shop, or a cafe.

I'd love to be able to recycle more but it's difficult when you don't have much space and there isn't really anywhere to put it.

At my Dad's flat, they have rooms downstairs. They have a kitchen and community room. On a Wednesday morning they go down for a bacon butty and tea.

They’ve got their own laundry downstairs. People can meet up with each other. They have a knit and natter corner. It all adds up when you’re in a highrise flat.

That could be a job for somebody.

If people are paying a bit, maybe at Christmas they could go out or make a meal together. That's what the flats need.

The Highrise Project aims to explore the links between architecture and social relations in inner city areas and particularly around highrise buildings and council-built estates. Our collaboration combines our own experiences of living in social housing, along with our skills and interests in co-producing high quality art with communities.

The New Wortley Project was supported by Leeds inspired, the Inner West HAP and New Wortley Community Centre. The artwork for this project was created by Sharon McMullan, A.M. Pazera, Nelson Ro, Sam, Morgan, and the residents of New Wortley.

The workshops were facilitated by Louise Atkinson and Victoria Kortekaas.