Louise Blackwell

Third Space

Third Space is an experiment. It’s an attempt to fill a missing space in Sussex where artists, researchers and community groups work together to explore a challenge in society and use creative ways to address it. We’re interested in how, through collaborating with others outside our specialisms, we might think differently and work more effectively. It’s a collaboration between theatre company RAPT, Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, the University of Sussex and me. I’m working with Dr Lisa Peck, Emma Higham and Laura McDermott to lead the project. University of Sussex has funded the initial research phase.

In June 2020 we invited artists, researchers and community leaders to meet each other, explore ideas and develop new partnerships. Led by the needs of three community groups in Brighton & Hove, we hope collaborations with artists and researchers will emerge to explore creative and scientific responses and solutions in response to those needs.

The collaborators are interested in exploring social justice particularly in relation to community building, resilience and recovery. We are interested in collaborations that consider social justice in public health, education, public services, economics, gender, ethnic, social equality and equilibrium between access to power and its responsible use.

The participants met online as a whole group in June 2020 and worked together between July and September to explore further conversations. The conversations have resulted in regular meetings between some of the collaborators and an event at the Bevy in August.

We hope this will be the beginning of a longer term project that encourages cross sector collaboration on a regular basis.

The people and partners involved in the project to date include: The Bevy, Alice Harwood (Voices in Exile), Alex Proctor (Choir With No Name), Brigitte Aphrodite, Emma Frankland, Susuana Amoah, Charlotte Spencer, Professor Lucy Robinson, Dr David Orr, Dr Roberta Piazza and Mael Sobrany. You can find out more about them here: Third Space participants June 2020 version 2.

Funded by The Higher Education Innovation Fund.