Culture Club

The Pop-up Venue That Seeded Cultural Transformation in Basildon

CLIENT

Basildon Borough Council

Pioneering, experimental and truly immersive, Culture Club set a new standard for community consultation.

Designed to act as a testbed for the newly launched Basildon Town Centre Cultural Strategy produced by Futurecity Ltd, Culture Club was a three month programme of cultural activity, events and interventions located in the heart of the town – all with the purpose of ensuring that local people could genuinely shape local cultural provision.

Working hand in hand with local people, we transformed a former betting shop into a pop-up hub for creativity, providing a platform for local creatives and those from across Essex to test their talents. From live music, to scratch theatre, to comedy nights, film screenings and workshops, Culture Club delivered 62 free events featuring 92 performers, 2 murals, 20 artist-led workshops and a variety of artist bursary schemes; all whilst collecting vital information from local residents about their vision for culture in Basildon.

The consultation and activity undertaken through Culture Club played an integral role in building local confidence, establishing partnerships and creating an evidence base for change. From this platform we were able to successfully apply for the Arts Council Creative People and Places Fund, winning £1.7 million, the first major cultural funding application for Basildon in over a decade.

“

It’s a place where you can listen to music and try art projects without thinking about any trouble because the people that use it are more relaxed and the staff are very nice and happy’

– Scott Murray, Patron

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