Regent’s Park Estate Story Trail is an exciting new resident-led socially engaged public art trail through Regent’s Park Estate, Euston.
Described by the residents as “a glimmer of light”, the 10 commissioned artists and collectives have created 12 site-specific installations that bring 28 new public artworks across the estate. Each artwork relates to locations selected by residents and explores local culture, ecology and heritage as well as responding to the practical needs of the area.
“The launch of the Regent’s Park Estate Story Trail marks four years since the reinvention of Old Diorama Arts Centre began. It encapsulates everything that ODAC is about: deeply and ambitiously community-led, collaborative and participatory. By enabling risk-taking new artist commissions, we’re making real change in our shared urban environment.
This public art trail is equally artistically and socially ambitious. Each of the commissions offer a radical vision of what public art can do, inviting local residents into the heart of the creative process and deeply embedding artists into the community. Thank you to the residents of Regent’s Park Estate for having such visionary ideas for our community, believing in the power of art, and working with us to make this possible. It’s been an honour and I can’t wait
to see what we can achieve together next.” – Daniel Pitt, creative director and chief executive, ODAC
The Story Trail aims to be a celebration of the past, present and future of Regent’s Park Estate, promoting a sense of local pride, safety and connection through public art works created for residents and visitors alike. “We are lucky to live here, it really is like a family” stated Neighbourhood Curator Rukshana Begum, reflecting the tight-knit sense of community in the area.
One of the earliest ideas for the Story Trail came from resident Marie who used to walk by an aged tree at Clarence Gardens while out with her children, asking them “If that tree could talk, what stories do you think it would tell?” She proposed a collective project to discover more about the area to the lockdown-initiated Regent’s Park Community Champions (managed by Fitzrovia Youth in Action).
Bolstered by a shared enthusiasm across the group, the Story Trail gathered momentum and was further developed in collaboration with Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London and Camden Council through Europe-wide ‘participatory meanwhile use’ research project T-Factor, and then produced by Old Diorama Arts Centre, always with community collaboration at its heart.
The Story Trail enhances the neighbourhood, celebrating the diverse cultures of the estate, while creating safe and accessible routes that connect green spaces. The circular trail encourages participants to explore beyond their typical routes, discovering more about the area.
The sustained input from the Community Champions Regent’s Park solicited feedback from thousands of residents at events over three years, with more than 1600 residents informing the artists’ work through workshops and events through 2024-25.
Over more than 18 months, three Neighbourhood Curators, Rukshana Begum, Bahja Mohammed and Christiana Pietzsch, joined ODAC’s staff team to work alongside project producer Sarah Nicholl, navigating decision-making and community engagement throughout the process.
“It feels amazing to be a part of a project transforming the area I grew up and work in.” – Christiana Pietzsch
“This project is spreading joy and happiness into the community.” – Bahja Mohammed
“I believe the Story Project is an opportunity for all of us to give our neighbourhood a beam of light and possibility amidst the many difficulties across the world.” – Rukshana Begum
Regent’s Park Estate is the London Borough of Camden’s largest social housing community, with a diverse population of over 12,000 people. The neighbourhood is undergoing major changes linked to the development of HS2 and the wider Euston area. Due to the impact of the ongoing construction works there has been a significant increase in traffic and pollution, along with a loss of green spaces, local amenities and hundreds of homes.
Each of the chosen locations offer distinctive architectural, historical and social contexts to respond to, such as Everton Mews, the gateway into the estate which has experienced anti social behaviour including fly tipping; Munster Square, an area with a fascinating history such as the LGBTQ+ bar that was sited beneath St Mary Magdalene Church; and areas with links to the poet Charlotte Mew, painter Robert Polhill Bevan and suffragette Mary Neal who founded the inspiring Esperance Club and its women’s Morris dancing club.
“The Story Trail is a fantastic example of what we can achieve when we empower our communities to shape where they live. It has tapped into the wealth of creativity, imagination and pride on the Regent’s Park Estate, and rightly celebrates the estate as a place where creativity, culture and community continue to thrive.
We are proud to support this resident-led project that goes hand-in-hand with our ambitions for the estate. We are working hard to create safer streets, new green spaces, and an improved public realm – investing in the estate to bring new benefits to the people who live and work there as the HS2 construction site continues to impact day-to-day life in the local area.” – Cllr Adam Harrison, deputy leader of Camden Council and cabinet member for Planning and a Sustainable Camden
