Mayor launches art gallery project to build community-inspired model of future Hoxton

Launch: Mayor Glanville (far left) officially opens the project. Photograph: PEER

Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville last week launched an architectural project which will see a large-scale model of Hoxton evolve over three weeks based on input from the local community.

Future Hoxton, which is on display at PEER gallery, will see residents and workers take part in workshops and come up with ideas that will be incorporated into the model.

The project is the brainchild of architects William Hodgson and Jan Kattein and is aimed at creating dynamic new proposals for the evolution of the area.

The pair’s model is already on display at PEER, located in the heart of Hoxton, where it is visible to passers-by for 24 hours a day.

Local residents and workers are invited to shape the design through workshops, talks and other public events.

Crafting ideas: locals can help shape the model. Photograph: Jan Kattein

Hodgson, who teaches at The Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London (UCL), said: “We are committed to full engagement with the Hoxton community on how they would like to see their area develop in the future.

“Using a real model to help residents and workers understand their neighbourhood is a very effective way of doing this, which goes far beyond the current practice of presenting large-scale two-dimensional plans and written policies.”

PEER says Future Hoxton is a test-bed for urban development.

The initiative sits alongside the gallery’s Urban Harvest exhibition, a study by Hoxton-based artist Rut Blees Luxemburg on the re-emergence of horticulture in urban spaces.

To take part in a Future Hoxton workshop or to volunteer to help make the model, please contact William Hodgson at w.hodgson@ucl.ac.uk