ISSUE 1 / APRIL 2018
PRESS
‘Ear ‘Ear, Join The Earwig Press.... EARWIG was a community pamphlet for Thamesmead 3 - The Moorings area. It was produced by residents, for residents, between 1975 - 1977. The group was known as the North Thamesmead Social Association. It documented the early days of The Moorings Social Club and charts the formation and foundations of the social life of the area. THE EARWIG PRESS is being set up by artist Verity-Jane Keefe, as a way to celebrate the local place, share information & provide space for comments & thoughts on your area: looking at the past, present and future. It will be a publication, a group and an outpost for residents voice. This is an invitation to residents of the Moorings, to join the new press, forming the editorial group with Verity. We will meet monthly to discuss and shape content, produce future issues, talk about the local area, regeneration, community and more to be decided by the group. If you are 14 and over, and live or work within the Moorings area please apply to join. A map is included to show the area covered. All questions and for more information Text or call Verity on 07817 302637 Email hello@verityjanekeefe.co.uk
The Moorings Residency.... Verity-Jane Keefe is a visual artist. She is currently artist in residence for The Moorings, commissioned by Peabody in 2017. She is interested in the relationship that people have with place, and how by setting up structures, engagement and print, residents can have voice within broad regeneration contexts. She has been working across Outer London for the last 14 years, and has worked on in Thamesmead on commissions from 2009 to now. Alongside THE EARWIG PRESS, Verity will be making a new filmwork about the Moorings and is establishing The Moorings Archive, see below. If you have any questions, thoughts, reactions or more relating to the work or The Moorings, please get in touch.
The Moorings Archive... THE MOORINGS ARCHIVE is an online collection of historic material, ephemera, found objects, local folklore and legend, presented together as both a contemporary archive and as a research tool, celebrating everything that makes The Moorings, what it is, everyday brilliance and more. Why collect or archive? Thamesmead, and London, are changing at a rapid pace. The purpose of collecting and recording moments from the areas rich past, is to share all information on a public platform, as both digital archive and visual record about and for a community and area. Thamesmead Stage 3 was built a little later than Stages 1 and 2. The Moorings, stands strongly, surrounded by waterways with a well used shopping centre in Arnott Close. It is not perfect, but where is? It represents a brilliant slice of life.. The Archive will present historic documents from Thamesmead’s past alongside more discreet moments from The Moorings present, looking at history as being two minutes ago as well as fifty years ago. Have a look and see how the archive unfolds, send in any submissions via the website or contacting Verity. www.themooringsarchive.co.uk
Moorings Walks
FRIDAY 27th APRIL 11 - 1 WEDNESDAY 30th MAY 11 - 1 FRIDAY 29th JUNE 11 - 1 Verity will be holding monthly walks around the Moorings, as a way to share her work as artist in residence, meet residents and talk about the local area. These will be confined to the local area, walking through the Moorings a different way each time, stopping at different spots, and covering different themes. They will be leisurely, so no need to worry about keeping up. Refreshments will be provided - all are welcome! We will meet outside Gogi’s, look out for THE EARWIG PRESS trolley. If you would like to attend or have any questions, please email, text or call Verity at: theearwigpress@gmail.com or 07817 302637
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Can I join The Earwig Press... If you are 14 and older, and would like to be join the editorial group for this new EARWIG, please get in touch. No need to worry about having necessary experience, all that’s required is enthusiasm and a curiosity to get involved and help shape this new publication. The monthly meetings will be steered by Verity to begin with, who will share her experience of producing publications as an artist and working within communities. You, the residents, are the best experts around when it comes to the Moorings. We will discuss certain themes, to be decided by the group, and deal with all of the nuts and bolts involved with producing the pamphlet. All decisions about the publication will be made by the group, guided initially by Verity. If you live or work anywhere within the map, you can join!
Why set up The Earwig Press... Thamesmead is changing rapidly, and has been changing for some time. Different landowners, demolition, construction, new residents, all change, nothing ever changes, new ducklings, new plants etc. Change is nothing new, and is tied to the history of the area. THE EARWIG PRESS is being established, reactivating the old community magazine, as a way for residents to document and contribute to this change, offering a useful, constructive mouth-piece and a printed format to communicate what is happening across the Moorings area. Ultimately the press will be YOURS. Community is a powerful thing, and hopefully, with a group of varied voices from across your community, the press will be a great thing.
I’m not sure it’s for me, I’m nervous... If you have any concerns, or aren’t 100% sure you want to be involved, are nervous, cynical, unsure, unable to commit to meetings but want to contribute in some other way, please get in touch with Verity, who will endeavour to answer your questions and help you in any way that she can. Contact details are on the front and she would be happy to meet before things get going.
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Some examples of what might feature... What’s On THE EARWIG PRESS would like you to submit your events that are happening locally. For example, Coffee Mornings, Church Groups, Basketball Groups, Dance Clubs, Walks - you name it, we want to list it! Email listings to theearwigpress@gmail.com Moorings Resident’s Community Group / Tea & Coffee Morning Every Monday 9.30 - 11am Hawksmoor Youth Hub, Bentham Road All welcome for a coffee and chat, find out what’s happening in your local area. mooringscommunitygroup17@outlook.com
‘Ear, ‘Ear THIS RESERVED SPACE is for your contributions concerning THE EARWIG PRESS, ideas and suggestions can be put forward to the group for publication, An archive photograph, a poem, piece of writing about the local area, a drawing, a comment etc. The readers space. This was a feature of the original EARWIG, the drawing below is a reworking of a sketch that featured in the first issue published October 1975.
Rant Corner, your letters A space to constructively share grievances, observations, comments, local folklore, humourous observations, agony aunt advice and so on. This space could be a soap-box, your chance to communicate something that is bothering you, that might be helped, if shared in public. THE EARWIG PRESS will reserve the right to refuse submissions if they are deemed offensive.
More Moorings A space to speculate, imagine, fantasise, visualise what the Moorings will look like the future and to share and celebrate things, moments and peculiarities that you think are great, and make the Moorings, the Moorings. Written submissions, drawings, observations, all welcome.
The Earwig Group thinks A summary of the conversations and processes that the Group has had at their meetings. What themes have come up, how we are working together and how we will move forward. This could be a piece of writing on regeneration, community, estates, London, Thamesmead and more, and will be published for you to respond to
Guest features THE EARWIG PRESS will invite contributions from people that have a wider connection and interest in the Moorings and Thamesmead. These might be other artist’s or writers on London, one of the former Greater London Council architects who worked on Thamesmead 3 or previous tenants. These will feature in the first few editions as the new group finds it’s feet.
And finally All contributions and feedback on any of the content in this first issue are welcome. If you are a tennager, what would you like to see in here, likewise if you have just moved here, or have lived here for 40 years?
Verity’s residency is commissioned by