Clay Slater Thompson

Cody Reed Co-op is a community focused workshop, gallery and education space. Housed within existing shipping containers spread across an ex-industrial site on the Lea River adjacent to Cody Dock. The project aims to re-educate local residents, school children and factory workers about the history of the Lea River and highlight the role that native reeds play in the ecological survival of the river. Central to the project is the use of reeds as a primary resource which will be used in the experimental production of new ecologically sustainable materials. Using local labour to harvest existing reeds at Cody Dock will enable the regrowth and cultivation of reed beds along the Lea River. Cody Reed Co-op sits in the wider context of intertidal research as we appreciate the loss of marsh and mudland across the world. This project attempts to create a space that encourages community connection to the river through cultivation and conservation of reeds and by enabling public river access and encouraging the manufacture of reed products.