Key details
Date
- 2 June 2025
Read time
- 4 minutes
As London celebrates Wandsworth’s designation as Borough of Culture 2025, the RCA is proud to be part of a summer of community-led creativity.
This June, the Royal College of Art will take part in a series of exciting community engagement activities across Wandsworth as part of Wandsworth Arts Fringe, the Winstanley Past, Present and Future Festival, and the London Festival of Architecture. These events reflect the RCA’s commitment to working in partnership with local communities through creative collaboration and public engagement. Several of the projects have been supported by the RCA’s Community Engagement Seed Fund, and build on ongoing partnerships between students, staff, and Wandsworth residents.
East side of York Garden, Winstanley Estate by Siyu Chen
Creative Collaboration on the Winstanley Estate
The Winstanley Estate in Clapham Junction is at the heart of many of this year’s community-led initiatives. RCA staff and students are delivering a series of projects that explore ideas of belonging, place, identity and memory through sound, design, storytelling and participatory art. Three RCA students were also awarded microgrants from Wandsworth Council’s Winstanley Micro Fund to bring creative, community-focused projects to life on the estate. These works form part of the Winstanley Past, Present and Future Festival and the London Festival of Architecture.
Mapping Winstanley
Part of The Winstanley Past, Present and Future Festival
Exhibition: 13 June – 13 July 2025, York Gardens Library
A series of five creative maps trace the invisible but deeply felt histories of the Winstanley Estate through the eyes of those who live and work there. Developed from participatory walks with local residents, each map becomes a kind of portrait — capturing personal and collective memories embedded in the neighbourhood’s green spaces and streets.
Heritage and Home Launch
Event: Friday 27 June, 5–9pm
Angele Lautier’s project explores intergenerational stories of migration and belonging through a series of community workshops. The culminating event on 27 June will feature a screening and celebration of residents’ stories, creating space for reflection and shared memory.
Playground in front of Mitchell House, Winstanley Estate by Siyu Chen
Pops of Joy!
Event: Saturday 14 – Sunday 15 June
A playful and interactive installation designed by Junghun Lee transforms Winstanley Estate Square into a vibrant canvas of colour and creativity. The Winstanley Time Garden, a large-scale ground graphic inspired by the area’s history, invites the public to engage physically and visually with the space. The Pop of Colours, a participatory event led by Daudi Kaggwa and Eviana Gerousi, will invite people to place coloured shapes to a growing mosaic.
A Coat of Strengths
Unveiling: Saturday 14 June, 3pm
Inspired by local heraldry and community strength, Louise Higgs’ Coat of Strengths creates a new emblem for the Winstanley Estate. Based on residents’ shared qualities and aspirations, a shield will be revealed in a public ceremony alongside references to the estate’s history — from the falcons of Sir Oliver St. John’s 18th-century coat of arms to M.C. Escher’s nearby artwork. The installation will remain a permanent fixture on the estate.
Detail from the newly commissioned Winstanley Estate Coat of Arms
Wandsworth Arts Fringe
As part of this year’s Wandsworth Arts Fringe, RCA staff and students are presenting two innovative projects that invite the public to engage with sound, space and identity in new ways. Both initiatives are supported by the RCA’s Community Engagement Seed Fund and highlight the power of creative collaboration with young people across the borough.
Me, Myself and the City: Mapping socio-spatial experiences of teenage girls in urban public spaces.
Sound Pavilion
Part of Wandsworth Arts Fringe
Dates: Throughout June 2025
Located beneath the arches between Grant Road and Falcon Road Bridge, the Sound Pavilion invites listeners to explore a rich sonic portrait of Clapham Junction created by artists Jaspar Joseph-Lester, Siyu Chen and Mengshuo Wu in collaboration with local youth clubs, schools and community members.
Through a QR code, visitors can access an immersive audio experience that reflects the rhythm of the passing trains, layered with community voices and stories about belonging.
Sound Pavilion is led by the Sites & Situations Research Lab, Royal College of Art: Krity Gera, Jaspar Joseph-Lester, Ben Judd, Asher Levitas in collaboration with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama; Amy Bliers-Carruthers and Amy Crankshaw.
Me, Myself and the City
Part of Wandsworth Arts Fringe
Exhibition: June 7 | Public workshop: 6 or 7 June
Led by Design Products tutor Dr Krity Gera, this participatory design research project explores how teenage girls from Wandsworth navigate and experience public space.
Working with Providence House Youth Club and Burntwood School, the team co-designed tools and interventions to map emotional and spatial responses to the city. The results will be showcased in Southside Shopping Centre alongside a public workshop inviting wider community input.
Supported by the Community Engagement Seed Fund.
Me, Myself and the City: Mapping socio-spatial experiences of teenage egirls in urban public spaces.
The RCA works closely with a diverse range of community partners and participants to develop collaborative projects and create a positive impact in the social and cultural fabric of our local, national and global communities.
