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Scotswood

Reality Check
Blueback Print
2017

Billy
Makeshift Studio in the Street
2017

Scotswood is deep-rooted in social and mining history. It has been partially re-built and demolished countless times. The estate is situated to the West of Newcastle City Centre but could be a world apart. 2016 marked the start of constructing an additional 300 ‘affordable houses’ on the estate. Only a handful of the original estate residents have the funds to ‘upgrade’ to the new estate. Scotswood Road acted as a divide between the communities and this project was an attempt to build social bridges between the two communities. The near impossible task of creating these relationships became a core theme of the project.

Bussling streets, a community centre, corner shops, durable housing; you would expect, all of these to be on the newly produced estate. It wasn’t. The stark contrast was evident, why were the social housing slowly being chipped away at? Using Games (both traditional Dominos up to the more contemporary Mine Craft) Play and Humour we uncovered a critical undercurrent of problems the estate faced and the future it held.

New Weathered Wall
2017

Private Gardens
2017

Community Cafe
2017