Tilbury Park, UK

Full description

RESEARCH BACKGROUND
The research field and context is the process of design-based research in the domain of public space and place, in particular, the consideration of participatory engagement in the making of public places. Mel Dodd's design addressed two central questions: How can the public be involved in the production of space, and how can existing socio-cultural practices of marginalised or invisible persons be fore-grounded in design? How can this encourage ownership in disadvantaged social and economic contexts?

RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION
Design-based research considers the actions and outcomes of a design as a form of applied research. In this case, new knowledge is understood as the process of design as much as the product or outcome that contributes to embedded meaning for local communities. This project was an act of socially engaged art practice. It allowed the active involvement of local school children in questioning the place of ponies in the landscape of Tilbury, and the idea of how communities can 'own' public space through use and mis-use.

RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
Tilbury Park's primary significance is demonstrated through its inclusion in a range of international publications including: Anglophiles: UK Architectures Rising Generation by Lucy Bullivant, published by Thames and Hudson, 2005; 10 x 10_2: 100 Architects 10 Critics, by Phaidon Press, 2006; AD: The 1970s is Here and Now, Samantha Hardingham (ed.), 2005. The work was exhibited in Gritty Brits, New London Architects curated by Raymund Ryan for the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, 2007.