Client: village underground
Project: EartH / Hackney Arts Centre: Community Engagement Programme
What were MAKE asked to do?
As part of its plans to open a major new multi-arts venue and restaurant in Dalston, East London (called EartH), well respected music venue operator Village Underground asked MAKE to conduct an objective community engagement and research project. The aim was to understand how the local community would like to use the new venue, what types of artists and activities they would see, what the benefits were of the proposals and any problems they could foresee with the changing of a now disused art deco cinema into London’s first large-scale multi-use new arts venues in a generation.
How did MAKE do it?
We invited 5,000 local residents and businesses to complete an online survey or to write in with their thoughts.
We used Facebook, Twitter and mailing lists to reach those who lived but also worked in the area to ask them thoughts on the new venue.
We staged a drop-in day at the venue and gave guided tours to over 100 people, opening up the space to the public for the first time in 40 years. People were amazed that it even existed behind a crumbling façade and a layer of dust and pigeon droppings. We captured feedback in vox pops and brainstorming.
What happened next?
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Whilst there were a small number of objections, the vast majority of those who engaged, particularly those who attended the guided tours, were enthusiastic, sometimes almost evangelical in their support for EartH. The ideas put forward by the community included giving a more regular home to tradition of African musicians performing in the area, political and arts debates, the development of a studio for young locals to learn music production and to create a restaurant that would, where possible, showcase East London food and drink producers. All of these were built into the business plan and are now operative.
What unique value did MAKE bring to this project?
Because of our long history in social and market research and community engagement, we were able to build a research framework that went beyond the usual leaflet drop associated with licensing and planning consultations. As a result, as well as any concerns about such a large new venue (that the operator was able to address on a one-to-one basis), the quality of the feedback was so good that it became key to shaping the entire arts programme and enhancing the ethos of the venue.