The Nice Dream Van was used to accompany the consultation team during the first phase of consultation, the outreach phase. It was an ice cream van that traded ice cream for a nice dream. While the team was taking soundings on the street between Aldgate and Stratford, the van attracted an audience and rewarded people’s participation with an ice cream lolly!
In the week from Tuesday 17th June until Saturday 21st of June, the Fluid/Soundings team could be spotted in 9 different locations along High Street 2012. Along came the Nice Dream Van, our consultation vehicle that traded ‘nice dreams’ for ice creams! This outreach exercise comprised little interviews with the Fluid canvass cards, the big ideas map, an aerial view where people could map their hopes and ideas for the future of the high street, but also their experiences (good and bad). We also provided a route map where people could mark ‘hot spots’ and no-go areas and also how they used the area. All these tools helped us to identify key issues of the street and its communities.
Part of this outreach period were two major local events: the Bow Arts Trust Open Studios event and the LIFT festival in Stratford. This phase of consultation has officially ended with the celebration of the street with the High Street 2012 Summer Picnic, part of the London Festival of Architecture, that took place on Saturday 28th of June.
The HS2012 picnic was part of the London Festival of Architecture and took place on Saturday 28th of June in Mile End Waste. The event featured 2 architectural walks, one going east towards Stratford and one going west towards Aldgate. Food was catered from Rinkoff’s bakery and Tayyubs restaurant. Carolyn Steel presented her latest book ‘Hungry City – how food shapes our lives’ and gave a lecture on the significance of food in the East End. There was an exhibition about fantastic stories of the High Street, from the Kray brothers to Dr. Bernardo and the Salvation Army. Finally, East London jewellery artist Bernadette Deddens held a workshop where she produced a ‘charm bracelet’ representing the hidden charms of the High Street.
