1
Dialogue has been set up by two students at Norwich University of the Arts. It is a celebration of Norwich, to rejuvenate the city and reconnect it as a whole. We have created a concept that uses a visual dialogue to connect the city to watch it engage in conversation around us. Abstract patterns and sculptures will remind us of Norwich’s hidden gems, for example the market that buzzes at the city centre and all of the architecture that surrounds it. We have started the project with our piece by looking at the market —  An understated landmark of great historical reference and an energetic environment brimming with sub-culture. We have created potential ideas for ways in which we can portray particular elements of this and how they could be applied to appeal to the people living within and outside of this vicinity. The idea was the start of a potential platform in which people celebrate the city through various artworks and installations.
2
By creating patterns with shape and colour, inspired by the surroundings in Norwich, the aim is to install these pieces of work within and around the city — it is a project that could be embraced by the community, aimed to be un-intrusive but simply highlight the beauty around us. Local artists are to be invited to create their own abstract work and ideas. The proposals could be applied to anything, they could be tiled upon a wall, painted, built or made as bags for local shops and more. We are embracing a contemporary Heraldic language for Norwich that will benefit our economy and provide a visual aesthetic that can only compliment an already fine city. In an idealistic situation the project should offer a bridge of reason for people outside of Norwich to visit the city. This will be a crucial element to ensure longevity amongst the outcomes, This is the reason we feel the final application will be a series of events as opposed to just a singular. A singular piece becomes subjective to the eye of the beholder, however by placing a variety you are allowing a greater chance of representing the diversity amongst the city, alongside of the people who live within it.
5
Through contextual reasoning, we came up with a series of abstract designs in which we felt represented the atmosphere of the market. We considered what aspects of the market we felt offered the strongest significance in memory and decided upon the change in perspective, as to how the market is very muted and unspoken when inside of it, yet the outside is a mash up of colour and almost becomes a statement. By creating patterns built by the colours and shapes of the market, we envision that they would be applied to surfaces around the city; whether they be tiled, painted or a sculpture, they will sit high at the top half of buildings withing the city. People will be prompted to look above, this offers a new dynamic to the visual elements within the city. Architecture often overlooked or forgotten is now at the forefront of attention. The concept we propose is a gentle disruption to the every day normalities in which people experience. The idea of small gestures dotted across the city can offer a much wider range of ways to celebrate the city, it offers the potential for collaboration between artists within the local area, part of the city’s ethos.
6
The Norwich Bid has an area mapped out as to what they consider the city centre, It would be within this area that the artworks would be placed. Placement will be crucial to tie in the particular audience that the piece may express toward. If the project were to progress forward, this would be a key factor in the project being a success. The project offers the opportunity to celebrate the city with an open approach to medium. Through contextual research and primary we have come to realise the shear significance in size of diversity that Norwich offers. The town has a history that is rich in heritage, yet with the relentless pave of the city, this becomes dismissed and clouded by the atmospheric buzz. The concept of our idea is simple, to generate artistic work in whichever medium is decided suitable and place it amongst a chosen area. The work will celebrate this particular area and will not be placed if it is not well considered.
The project as a platform has potential to reach out to not only the older and current generations, but could expand to that of a younger through the use of a series of events where work could be created by all generations and sold or used as prints for bags in shops or other Norwich memorabilia - continuing the dialogue Norwich would now communicate with.
9
Whilst creating design for social good, we would have to consider what the benefit of the project would be for the community. People will ask the question of how much money was placed into the artworks, this can be avoided if the project offers a clear reward that can appeal to a wide variety of audiences that dwell amongst the city centre. The citizens of the city will want justifiable reason for their space to be alternated or tampered with. This can perhaps lead on to another potential thinking point of whether a space will need to be modified, how would the artwork look if it were to utilize a derelict space in such a way that it becomes active again? Amongst the city’s shops lie many empty spaces as the economy takes its hold, the spaces offer a conversation amongst themselves. How could the derelict space between two shops celebrate the harmonious relationship in which they share, re-iterating the ideals of a safe, small yet welcoming community?