The Lychee Side: Community Blues

THE LORDSHIP PROJECT
stoke newington

The lordship estate in stoke Newington just off church street was counted in a 2003 council survey as one of the top 10 worst places to live in London. The police are always circling the area on their motorbikes for no apparent reason, and finally the residents called out for a better public approach to their environment, hence became the Lordship Project.

Curated by a team of talented London artists, on the 19th of September the group led by Conrad Armstrong Laura Ghany and Eliza Helmerich took over the courtyard of the Lordship estate to bring a world of art and creativity into the community. Live performance, music, free cake and a variety of community involvement projects were set up. People danced and sang, played the saxophone, curated art around the space and set up a blue zone of peace, laughter and art. Philosophical talks took place and people spoke about the opportunities of freedom, of alternative living, of creativity and community.

This is what took place and some of the people I met:

Georgia,
9 years

Georgia lives on the lordship estate with her mum and uncle, she is the only child but as she likes to put it - “the youngest and oldest!” Her mum was a teenage gyspy who ran away with the circus, looking at the project she says - “I used to do things like this in the 70s when I was a hippy, sometimes I wish I had studied or something but then again, I have all those good times behind me!”

Georgia:
"my mum has epilespy and I saved her life twice, last year I went to glastonbury and played ping pong with the devil, I also wanted to start a magazine called bonkers because me and my friend are bonkers! When i'm 18 my mum said she won't let me out the house because she's paranoid about boys!"
Johnny Blamey

Why is everyone dressed in blue?

“blue is melancholy, and melancholy is progressive, it’s a more powerful state. Memories are blue and they help you get new ideas and keep things moving. Blue is the colour of tears, it’s the colour of the sky, the colour of the ocean, if you look at the earth its really all blue. Its also the colour of communityWhat is the cause?

“There used to be a group of people in the 90s who lived in a park. Put up a tent, pay no rent.”

“The universe is expanding, MacDonald’s is giving away free cheeseburgers tomorrow at 11!”
Alamid

“Art is about the community, about involving people. It should be outdoors because that is what the earth is. Its more natural that way, more organic.”

THE EVENT: