About the project

The 14th Floor project has been conceived to celebrate the history of social housing in Tower Hamlets, a borough which hosts some of the oldest and most architecturally and historically significant council housing in the capital. The borough is also home to a groundbreaking collaboration between arts charity Bow Arts Trust and the housing association Poplar HARCA which enables use of vacant flats awaiting renovation for local artists as live/work and exhibition space. The summer-long project is a partnership between Bow Arts Trust and Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives, and is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Volunteers will be recruited by the Project Co-ordinator, a visual artist, from among the residents of the borough. Together they will research, investigate and discuss the historical development of the estates and buildings, and consider their impact on residents' lives using the archive collections at Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives. Participants will interview each other about their experience of the borough's housing estates and developments, and undertake research to trace their history. Images and testimony generated from the volunteers' research and interviews will be pulled together in a publication to be disseminated during the GLA's Story of London festival in October this year.

Participants will then work with the artist, using their learnings to create new artwork to be installed and exhibited in situ on one of the estates during the Story of London festival. Depending on the artist to be recruited and the volunteers' interests, this could take a variety of forms, perhaps a performance, film, painting or photography. Walking tours of selected estates will also be held for the public during the festival, developed and led by the partnership and volunteers. Finally, a launch event is planned to involve a debate on social housing with authors, architects, residents and council members/officers.

For more information, contact towerhamletssocialhousing@gmail.com and check out the historical background info provided.

We are currently recruiting the Project Co-ordinator - see below!