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Write Up Your Street

Write up Your Street was a temporary public art work evoking memories of childhood play.

Early one morning, a few months after gathering people’s childhood memories of outdoor play at the first Playing Out Project event in Bristol, artist Amy Rose led an intrepid team of 15 local volunteers to chalk the words onto the street and pavement, in trails and locations that evoked the patterns of children’s play. The words lasted about three days before being washed away.

Alice Ferguson made a little silent movie of ‘Write Up Your Street’ but the soundtrack we want to use is a song by Arlo Guthrie and we are trying to get his permission to use it before we post it publicly.

As it happens, Amy spent her childhood in Stockbridge, MA, USA home of Arlo’s famous song “Alice’s Restaurant” in the days when it was all happening. We are now trying to reach him through the ‘six degrees of separation’ theory.

Here’s what some members of the public said about ‘Write Up Your Street’:

I took some friends to see the artwork this afternoon.  We had a lovely time meandering in and out of the cars and across the roads, to read the trails.  They thought it was wonderful. Well done for having the inspiration and the organisation to carry it off.

Just to say I loved the chalk – it made me laugh!… and I like the message (the possibility of streets as social, playful places).  [My son] was fascinated by ‘Mr Wolf’ and is insisting on me teaching him to play it…Great idea!

 

‘Write Up Your Street’ can be adapted for residential streets or housing estates and is designed to respond to issues decided by residents or specific groups.  Please contact us for more information if you’d like us to work with you in this way in your community.