Co-creating industrial art

A team from local neurodivergent-led arts social enterprise A Collective have been commissioned to create an artwork for a new development in Factory Lane, and they want to collaborate with Croydon residents. Interested in getting creative? Read on…

If you know Croydon’s ‘industrial’ zone in and around the Purley Way, you’ll know Factory Lane where Royal Mail’s delivery office and Croydon’s main reuse and recycling centre (aka the dump) reside. If you’re familiar with Factory Lane, you’ll remember the gigantic gridlike structures of the empty gas holders at the former gasworks site, which had been part of Croydon’s skyline since 1860. The gas holders have (sadly) now been demolished. However, The Works, who are building the development in this semi-derelict space, would like to commemorate these striking structures, so are honouring them with a public artwork.

The commissioned team at A Collective, Jill, Bea, Skye and Jo, are asking Croydon residents to be inspired by the former gas holder structures, then submit shapes or words (or both) to their website to become part of the final artwork.

We caught up with Jill, Bea, Skye and Jo to find out more about the project, which they have aptly titled ‘Negative Space Made Positive’ due to the empty space of the gas holders, now becoming a place of work and opportunity.

Croydonist: Why do you think your team was specifically chosen to create the artwork, over other artistic collectives?

A Collective: To be honest, it was a closed process and knowing how much creative talent there is in our borough, this is hard to answer! We would hope it was partly because we took a co-creation approach, offering an opportunity for members of A Collective’s Autistic Youth Hub to be closely involved in the process, as well as input and influence from the wider Croydon community.

Croydonist: What will be your team’s process for creating the artwork?

A Collective: It happens quite intuitively. We’ve been lucky to work together on a wide variety of projects over several years now, so we know each other well, and that safety lets us be candid with each other, but still kind. As neurodivergent artists, we tend to put a lot of care and emphasis into checking each other’s understanding and seeking gentle agreement. We also respect our strengths and differences and give space for access requirements, different working styles, and how we come together as our best selves not just as creatives but as a project team: from bid to strategy, concept, detailed delivery, project management, tech, etc.

Croydonist: What excites you most about the commission?

A Collective: Initially, it’s the scale – physically – the piece will be 6m x 4m in size. And as socially-engaged artists, it’s exciting to be trialling a different way of asking people to participate in the project via the website. Plus of course as story-tellers, Croydon lovers (and residents), as the gas holders are such a defining part of Croydon’s visual history, we are super proud to be creating this legacy piece.

Croydonist: What’s the deadline for people to submit shapes and words?

A Collective: By the end of July.

Croydonist: What’s the timeline for the artwork – when will it be in situ at The Works for people to view?

A Collective: This is a large development project and installing the artwork sits near the end of the process, so it’s very dependent on the construction at the site. We hope that it will be in place by the end of 2025.