A13 Artscape

Claire Adams and Jeremy Grint describe the content of this innovative project, its aims and achievements

A13 Artscape is one of the largest and most innovative public art projects in the UK, being led by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD). It is harnessing the work of local, national and international artists and designers to improve the environment of the A13 trunk road in Barking and Dagenham - one of the busiest roads in Europe - for residents fronting the road, road users and pedestrians. In addition, public spaces within neighbouring housing estates including parks, subways and shopping areas are also being improved environmentally. The project incorporates an extensive education and outreach programme which includes a variety of arts activities including dance events, community plays and a generational arts project. The project commenced in 1997 with the awarding of the largest ever Arts Lottery grant for public art, and is planned to continue until 2003.

The central section of the project, 'Arterial', is developed from the concept developed by Dublin-based architect Tom De Paor. He describes 'Arterial as, "a choreographed journey through an interlinked, invented landscape at a grand scale, thematically connected to involve the curious and establish a more humane experience of the road for both the resident and the driver"

His concept differs from previous public art schemes in that it is founded on a an integrated masterplan which in conceptual terms may be thought of as a piece of music.

It contains rhythm represented by:

• An avenue of two species of trees to the north of the A13, against which the road winds, climbs and falls along the route,
  

• a clipped and precisely formed series of hedges arranged as fields across the scheme,
  

• a site-specific system of fencing to the south of the road, unifying the frontages to factories and 'rippling' to accentuate the feeling of moving traffic.

It uses the notion of repetition to include:

• a series of light towers, designed in collaboration with Gudrun Bielz, Jim Buckley and Julie Myers, each distinctively site-specific though interrelated formally, sited at regular intervals and plotted in a straight line across the landscape, and
  

• geometric landforms, known as 'reptiles', which reappear at different locations in the scheme, fluctuating in size and configuration.

It also features improvisation in events at key locations. These include:

• -a completely new pocket park at the A13/Movers Lane, with specifically considered landforms deflecting road noise and providing shelter from the traffic with a sculptural pumping station to feature innovative lighting designed by Clare Brew,
  

• a roundabout at A13/Lodge Avenue, titled 'Holding Pattern', designed in collaboration with Graham Ellard and Stephen Johnstone, incorporating 76 stainless steel columns creating a halo of pinpricks of blue light over a distorted granite grid,
  

• large-scale landscaping at the A13/Renwick Road Junction and Castle Green playing fields, repeating the landforms of Movers Lane and incorporating spectacular planting, shelter and new circulation routes for park users,
  

• a major landmark artwork, designed by Thomas Heatherwick, at A13/Goresbrook junction, adjacent to a undulating landscape of repeating hedges to mark the closure of the scheme.

Artscape also extends to housing estates and open spaces which border the road, and addresses the impact of the road on the communities that are directly affected by it.

Scrattons Farm Estate, situated to the south of the A13, has been severely affected by the realignment of the A13, and the erection of a 3.5 metre high acoustic barrier which effectively fences them in. Artist in residence, Rayna Nadeem, and artist/architect practice, Muf, have been working with landscape architects and engineers to mitigate against the effects of the road and deal with the feelings of detachment felt by the community.

One of the initial proposals to create a performance space in Barking Town Square, developed into an architecture/design competition for the whole Town Square. Five design teams submitted entries and the final winner was a team including Avery Architects, Urban Catalyst, Gustafson Porter, and Shelagh Wakely, who have put forward innovative proposals for a mixed use development including ground floor retail space, a new library and Gallery, residential units, and of course the performance space. Model of winning design of Barking Town Square Architectural Competition. Winning Team: Urban Catalyst, Avery Associates, Shelagh wakely, Katherine Gustafson

There are several parks projects, including Newlands Park and Goresbrook Park, where extensive consultation by artists/consultants, with local people, has influenced the artist's design for the park. Community Land Use Ltd worked closely with young people on Thames View Estate to develop ideas for their park - Newlands Park. Although this was the only open space of note on the estate, it was very under-utilised. This culminated in a 'Party in the Park' event where the children had a chance to display their photographic surveys and drawings. Artist Rob Kesseler then worked up their ideas into a scheme which exploits a strong ground plan which can be seen from the houses overlooking the park, and incorporates play equipment, seating areas and a scented garden. Similarly, Whitelaw Turkington undertook consultation in relation to Goresbrook Park in Dagenham, which is a large linear park, lacking facilities but with considerable potential. Artist Andrew Darke and Landscape Architect Lynn Kinnear are now working on a design for the park.

Axonometric drawing of winning design

	For many residents living to the south of the A13, uninviting subways are their main link to town centres and facilities to the north of the road. Artists Pat Kaufman and Anu Patel have redesigned two of these subways to open up the entrances and make them more inviting and safer for users, through innovative use of landscape and lighting.
	Design Concept: Gale Street subway: designers Pat Kaufman and Joe Otterwill

There are also proposals for light works on landmark buildings on or near to the road. Negotiations are taking place with local businesses to take these projects forward.

A13 Artscape also includes other arts activities including dance and drama, aimed at involving the community, to develop their skills and confidence. ARC Theatre Ensemble have already staged two of a series of three community plays, East London Dance have performed a spectacular dance event on a realigned, unopened, section of the A13 in Dagenham, and Studio 3 are running an intergenerational project which brings together young and old in their experiences of Barking and Dagenham.

Participants

There are many different players involved in the project. The management team consists of planners, engineers, landscape architects, arts and education professionals, community development workers, housing officers, borough policy officers and an access officer. This team meets on a monthly basis to discuss and resolve any issues which have arisen. There are also a series of 'specialist' teams which have responsibility for areas such as design, community involvement and funding.

The majority of the above are professionals from LBBD. However, throughout the development of the project, LBBD have worked very closely with public art consultants pArts, who have a key role in long-listing and short-listing artists for each of the projects, and providing important advice on arts issues.

As a large proportion of the funding is coming from the Arts Lottery via the Arts Council of England, we have to work closely with them both in terms of utilising their expertise in visual arts and in terms of project monitoring and meeting the special conditions imposed on the Lottery grant.

A close relationship with the Highways Agency has been crucial throughout the development of designs on or close to the A13. They have recently appointed a Design Build Finance Operate contractor who will manage and maintain a large stretch of the A13 over the next 30 years and they will be implementing a number of the key projects on the road itself. All designs have had to be discussed in considerable detail and agreed by the Highways Agency.

It is likely that around 50 artists and arts groups will be involved in the project over its lifetime. Those involved so far have been mentioned above. Last, but very importantly, community involvement has been integral to the project with consultation and involvement taking place in a variety of different ways throughout. This has ranged from door-to-door consultation, to artist residencies, to workshops, right through to taking part in dance events.

The aims & objectives

In London, many people do not know where Barking is and have little reason to go there. Dagenham, on the other hand, is synonymous with the Ford factory. The area is known for being a very large council estate - once the biggest in Europe - consisting of 1920s and 30s cottage style housing. There is little real sense of any distinctive spaces, few significant buildings or areas of high quality design, compared with other parts of London.

The A13 itself, is one of the busiest roads in the country, used by a high proportion of heavy goods vehicles. The section through Barking and Dagenham is also heavily industrialised and therefore presents a poor image to people passing through. This hampers inward investment to the Borough.

Artscape aims to transform the image of the borough by providing a greatly improved experience along and adjacent to the A13 for drivers, residents and businesses alike. The transformation will result in interesting, stimulating features and landscapes along the road, making the journey through the borough a real 'event', giving memorable orientation points on the route and creating a sense of place.

Local residents will benefit from an improved quality of life through enhanced public open spaces, a better environment, improved pedestrian and cycle facilities, and increased protection from road pollution. Businesses will benefit from a greatly improved local environment for customers and staff, and through an enhanced image of the area, making them more visible and attracting new business to the area.

At the start of the project the arts base in the borough was very low but the situation is being changed through provision of a new Gallery and a performance space in Barking Town Centre as part of the Town Square redevelopment, and a series of consultative, educational and participative activities.

It is also hoped that the project will challenge the perceptions among many that our roads can be successfully integrated into the landscape by way of unobtrusive planting schemes that attempt to conceal them from view, by instead making beauty of their features, celebrating the road and emphasising the importance of the road in urban landscapes.

Funding Initially, funding of £375,000 was obtained through the Single Regeneration Budget to environmentally improve the A13 through Barking and Dagenham through tree planting, landscape works and improvements to business frontages. It was soon realised that this would make little impact, so with Tom De Paor's concept design and with the help of former public art consultants, Public Art Commissions Agency, LBBD submitted a bid to the Arts Lottery and were successful in obtaining £3.895million. The project is currently a £9 million scheme. The Highways Agency are contributing a large proportion of the funding for this project through a private finance initiative known as the Design, Build Finance, and Operate scheme. London Borough of Barking and Dagenham are contributing over £400,000. In addition, ongoing negotiation is taking place with private businesses over contributions to the scheme through business frontage improvements and contributions to lightworks on key industrial buildings and other installations.

'Holding Pattern' designed by Graham Ellard, Stephen Johnstone and Tom de Paor

Selecting

The sites for installation along the road are all the key junctions of the A13 within the project area. Several of these junctions were already the subject of proposals by the Highways Agency for junction improvements with proposals to implement 'standard' landscaping. Through extensive negotiations with the Highways Agency, agreement was reached for them to implement more innovative design proposals which had been developed by artists. The project expands to a much wider area than just the road to ensure that the positive effects of the works extend to all residents that live near to it and not just road users. Public areas within housing estates were chosen to bring the benefits of the project to the maximum number of people possible.

Relationship to sites

The project is not about creating individual pieces of sculpture but more about moulding the landscape and taking into account the culture and history of the area. The proposals for the road have always been considered as part of a whole concept and not just 'stand-alone' pieces. While the individual elements of the scheme are site-specific, they all reflect the ethos of the 'masterplan'. As described in the concept, there are a number of themes which are repeated at different points along the road and a number of features which are incorporated in the different junction schemes.

Thomas Heatherwick's proposal for Goresbrook junction (where the new A13 meets the old A13 in Dagenham) is actually integral to the site. He wanted to avoid designing an art work which was unrelated to the site for which it was intended, so his proposal is actually created from the road itself. He envisages creating two new mysterious landforms on roundabouts at the junction, seemingly "pulled out" of the road's surface by giant hands!

Model: winning entry for International Design competition for Goresbrook Junction by artist Thomas Heatherwick

Complexities

A13 Artscape is a very complex project, partly due to the large number of individuals and groups involved each with different roles and opinions. Creating and finalising designs for projects takes a considerable length of time as physical constraints and practicalities have to be considered without compromising artists' ideas. At the end of the process, if the design is not within budget, it is either back to the drawing board or we must seek additional funding. Obtaining match funding for the project is an ongoing process as new opportunities to develop the project further regularly arise. Maintenance costs are another important issue. Schemes cannot be built until the maintenance costs have been full assessed and we are sure that these can be met to ensure that the work is kept in good condition.

There are many different consents that have to be obtained. As well as planning permission, we must also get consent from the Highways Agency where the DBFO contractor will be maintaining the work, and for projects on the road, a detailed independent safety audit must be undertaken in order to ensure that the projects do not compromise safety for both motorists and pedestrians.

Finally, there are a series of standard and special conditions which are imposed by the Arts Council. We must provide monthly reports on progress and spend which are assessed by a monitor, and we must produce reports and evidence that we are meeting the conditions. Failure to meet any of these conditions delays the drawdown of the grant.

The time spend working on A13 Artscape has been a continual learning process. This type of project was relatively new to Barking and Dagenham so at each step of the way the issues that have arisen have helped us to modify our working practices to achieve the best possible outcome.

Achievements

Two of the physical projects are now complete. The completion of improvements to Farr Avenue shopping parade, Thames View Estate, in September 1998, was celebrated by a street party, and the first major project on the road, 'Holding Pattern' was completed in May this year. Works are now underway on the northern section of Scrattons Farm Estate.

For further details contact Claire Adams or Jeremy Grint on 020 8227 2161 or visit the A13 Artscape website at www.a13artscape.org.uk #