The Grove DIY
My work is a photographic documentation of the processes behind building The Grove DIY (@thegrovediy) with my friends over the last three years in the abandoned car park of a burned down pub in South London, which has influenced my studio project this year and throughout my degree.
DIY skateparks are a form of tactical urbanism aimed at reactivating disused land through the informal design and construction of concrete ramps by skateboarders. This is usually done 'extra-legally', and has proven to be an effective method of creating sustainable urban commons through participatory design, horizontal knowledge sharing and practical place-making. In October 2021 the Grove DIY was hailed in the RIBA Journal as a 'grassroots challenge to the privatisation of urban space'.
In 2022 I incorporated The Grove DIY Community Interest Company, which has allowed us to receive grants from organisations such as Skateboard GB to continue our work.
The spot has since blossomed into a huge community project and now even features a community garden in place of the old beer garden, which grows food for the local refugee centre. Additionally last summer we received a £30,000 grant from the Arts Council England to produce and host five sold-out (free) performances of a live theatre adaptation of Shakespeare's 'A midsummer night's dream'. The weekend before these performances we also hosted a hardcore punk festival / skate jam, with bands from as far as Los Angeles performing and people attending from all over the country. This was sponsored by companies including Vans, Dickies, Palace and Supreme, and all proceeds were donated to local charity 'Cook to Care'.
Since moving to Manchester I have also been involved in building at Beeside DIY in Moss Side, and Gooseside DIY in the Central Retail Park. After graduating I plan to build and design skate spaces professionally.
