Artists selected for Oxford Road ‘Community Story Telling’ Project

THREE local artists have been selected to produce exciting new art works along the eastern end of Oxford Road, as part of a project aiming to amplify the local heritage and rich multicultural history of the road. 

In September 2020, Reading was awarded just over £9k by Historic England to run the pilot project, called ‘Re-imaging the high street through your stories’. 

The project focuses specifically on the eastern end of the Oxford Road from Howard Street to Prospect Street. The Oxford Road which is part of the Castle Hill, Russell Street Oxford Road Conservation Area, is a radial high street area that originated as a medieval pathway from Reading. The High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) project has been collecting residents’ stories and memories since October last year.  

This map shows the High Street Heritage Action Zones in Reading – Downshire Square, Castle Hill/Russell Street/Oxford Road, St Mary’s Butts/Castle Street and Market Place/London Street conservation areas.

Contributions will be used to create a storyboard of the Oxford Road that will inspire and inform the artistic interpretations produced by the following three selected local artists: 

Caroline Streatfield: ‘Hidden Recipes from the Ancestral Home’: 

Caroline will be producing a series of collected family recipes from the diverse mix of residents in the Oxford Road area, allowing the audience to try new foods from around the world. The project will collect recipes from local residents and transform them into exciting recipe postcards that you will be able to pick up from your local shops where you can buy the ingredients. Larger posters will be on display along the high street to advertise where you can pick up the recipe cards from. 

Gemma Anusa: ‘Through your eyes’: 

Gemma will be producing a large-scale painting of a face, created using a gradient of skin tones and a vibrancy of colour representative of the diverse and rich culture of the area. Embedded in the face the viewer will find resident quotes, important dates and times and significant moments in the history of the Oxford Road and its community. 

Caroline Bishop and Baker Street Productions: ‘Look, Hear, Oxford Road’: 

Baker Street Productions will be bringing the viewer on a multi-sensory, three-dimensional tour of the Oxford Road, creating an engaging narrative through which you can explore the heritage of the buildings and people along the Oxford Road. Using intriguingly placed QR Codes the audience will navigate 10-15 audio bites found along the street. These will allow you to hear stories from residents, historical accounts of the roads history and reflect on the rich experiences of life in a multi-cultural and diverse community.  

All applications for this project were reviewed and shortlisted by a panel made up of partner representatives from Reading Council, the University of Reading, Reading Festivals Group and the local community.  

Artists will begin designing their pieces imminently and the project hopes to have art pieces in production by the end of March, Covid restrictions dependent.

Cllr Karen Rowland, Reading’s Lead for Culture, Heritage and Recreation, said: 

“I am delighted that the vibrant history and rich diversity of the Oxford Road will be commemorated in the work of these three local artists. 

“Each of the artists that have been selected bring a unique and creative concept to the table and the variety they offer compliments each-other well.  

“This project is all about co-creation and getting local residents involved to celebrate the local heritage of this area and multicultural history of the road. I was really pleased we had a very community focused panel of partners, including Oxford Road residents, come together for the artist selection process. 

“As an Oxford Road area resident myself, I am eagerly anticipating the culmination of this project. I have always been captivated by the rich tapestry and diversity of the Oxford Road and it is my hope that through the expressions of these artists more people will come to appreciate it as I have and discover its uniquely diverse heritage and flavour. I am very excited to see how each of our artists rise to the challenge of bringing this all to life!” 

This pilot project is part of the wider High Streets Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) programme in Reading, a part of a nationwide initiative designed to protect and enhance the town’s historic high streets.  

Reading’s HSHAZ programme is focused on high streets in three Conservation Areas: Castle Hill/Russell Street/Oxford Road; St Mary’s Butts/Castle Street and Market Place/London Street.  

Reading will receive up to £806,500 from Historic England and will match-fund £808,500 to deliver a £1.6 million programme over the next 3.5 years. 

For more information visit www.reading.gov.uk/hshaz, or email hshaz@reading.gov.uk

ENDS