In July 2010 ARK LAB were involved in the ARKADE Empty shop project. With the development's taking place within Cardiff at the time. The Victorian Arcades which for many years have been the heart of the city were suffering. Due to a combination of city centre improvements that had blocked lines of sights and entrances right through to the newly developed St David's 2 shopping centre. This had led to over 40% of shops being empty which in turn had led to a reduction in footfall through the Arcades ARK LAB worked with the community of the Arcades on a number of levels. - Firstly we developed a number of workshops that involved the businesses in and around the Arcades - Challenge what a shop can and is in today's market - Improve footfall for the other shops in and around the arcades - Shed new light on what the Arcades have to offer - Bring social design and performance to the public We opened up one of these empty shops, we designed the spaces and all marketing collateral we also produced a number of campaign's both viral and traditional methods. When it came to the shop we filled it with also a number of events. During the three days, the shop was constantly busy. With well over fifty people at some points being inside while others looking in through the windows. Press coverage for the arcades was huge with pieces being written by: Design Week, the guardian and and Wales Online. Also the project was covered by BBC Cymru and itv Wales. In the short period since the project the local businesses have setup their own association and other strong relationships have been formed between businesses.
In July 2010 ARK LAB were involved in the ARKADE Empty shop project. With the development's taking place within Cardiff at the time. The Victorian Arcades which for many years have been the heart of the city were suffering. Due to a combination of city centre improvements that had blocked lines of sights and entrances right through to the newly developed St David's 2 shopping centre. This had led to over 40% of shops being empty which in turn had led to a reduction in footfall through the Arcades ARK LAB worked with the community of the Arcades on a number of levels. - Firstly we developed a number of workshops that involved the businesses in and around the Arcades - Challenge what a shop can and is in today's market - Improve footfall for the other shops in and around the arcades - Shed new light on what the Arcades have to offer - Bring social design and performance to the public We opened up one of these empty shops, we designed the spaces and all marketing collateral we also produced a number of campaign's both viral and traditional methods. When it came to the shop we filled it with also a number of events. During the three days, the shop was constantly busy. With well over fifty people at some points being inside while others looking in through the windows. Press coverage for the arcades was huge with pieces being written by: Design Week, the guardian and and Wales Online. Also the project was covered by BBC Cymru and itv Wales. In the short period since the project the local businesses have setup their own association and other strong relationships have been formed between businesses.
Inspiring Women eventGuardian">http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2011/mar/02/inspiring-women-chapter-cardiff?CMP=twt_gu
Last week whilst walking round London I was pleasantly surprised by this simplicity of this beautifully lit tunnel. Firstly I noticed the internal architecture of the tunnel and somehow the gently changing coloured lights made the tunnel feel safer and accessible. It is also a great example of how litter free spaces make public spaces more desirable to walk though.
Some new coverage of the arcades and a bit about the project. We just hope that it encourages people to come and visit the great shops but more importantly the great people who make up the arcades.http://www.itv.com/wales/empty-shops22352/
Over the last few days we have been at the shop at Laura's studio in the street, walking the dog and generally working until we drop a quick selection of images summing it all up.
As you know the last few months we have been busy working on the empty shop project - ARKADE which has basically been created by huge amount of good old fashioned community spirit.
We are getting very excited about the "Imagining Cardiff" workshop. The invite has gone out to a wide range of groups across different sectors (e.g. climate change, ageing, refugees, youth action, food) across Cardiff and South Wales.
Just a quick update on how the project is going, the timetable is filling up nicely but we do still have a few spots to fill. The tricky bit is how to make maximum use of the space- as the shop is divided into a larger and a smaller space it should be possible to have 2 different things happening at the same time as long as one doesn't interfere with the other.
Why not come along to our meeting on Wednesday evenings and see how you can get involved! Click here to view our calendar.
