Artists meet participant-collaborators in their homes to co-create sensory objects that bring the East Kent coast to those who can't access it.

For the first phase of this project in 2023, People United commissioned three socially engaged artists; Maggie Huiming Yang, Louise Beer and Rachel Ella Taylor, to work with socially isolated individuals in their homes, to co-design objects to evoke an immersive experience of the East Kent coastline.

This summer, for the second phase of the project, we are working with artists Lo Lo No, Elly Rutherford, and Sadie Hennessy.

To kick off the project the artists gathered at Newgate Gap Beach in Margate for a Coastal Immersion session led by coastal permaculture group Flints. The purpose of the session was to connect and gather inspiration before meeting the collaborators.

When introduced to each other, the community participants and the artists explored the coastal theme of the project, considering what most reminded them of the coast, what they enjoyed about the coast, and what that felt like across their different senses. The result of these conversations were two co-designed sensory objects per artists and collaborator pair. One of these objects was reproduced by the artist and the other was designed to be produced by other members of the community; culminating in 20 wellbeing boxes. The boxes were distributed to other socially isolated individuals across East Kent via our charity partners; the Kent Community Wardens Service (Positive Wellbeing Service), Porchlight, Canterbury Umbrella Centre, sheltered housing venues, and Age UK Swale.

“The experience has reminded me how important conversational flow is to the process of co-creating, and to any socially engaged creative practice. It has shaken my practice in an unexpected way and made me reflect deeply on the organic nature of creativity and its inseparable link to senses and interpersonal connections. I have found that after the experience I myself feel a greater connection to the coast and feel inspired.” – Maggie, Artist 

We hope that scrolling through the images below you will see the project’s journey from the coast to the home. We are uploading a case study shortly to this page which may also speak to the journey of the project and the connection to our broader programme, Futures of Care, in exploring radical and creative forms of care.

People standing on sandy beach facing the water.
Radical Gifting Coastal Immersion Session led by coastal permaculture group Flints
Several people sit around a bowl of water, the East Kent coast is within view behind them, as well as a bright blue sky.
Radical Gifting Coastal Immersion Session led by coastal permaculture group Flints
One woman is kneeling holding wicker materials to another, who is in a wheelchair, across a table.
Radical Gifting collaboration session between artist, Maggie, and participant, Jan
Two women at a table looking at and holding a shell, examining it's colour and texture.
Radical Gifting by Maggie Huiming Yang, Louise Beer and Rachel Ella Taylor
Photo taken from above looking at a table where two people are binding pages of photos, printed text and blank paper into notebooks with handmade paper covers.
Radical Gifting co-creation session with Porchlight's Open Door group
Photo of a person in a community hall holding up an open notebook on which is written
Radical Gifting by Maggie Huiming Yang, Louise Beer and Rachel Ella Taylor
Photo of two people sitting in arm chairs in a living room. A younger man in one chair is holding out a small brown cardboard box wrapped with jute ribbon to an older woman sitting in the chair next to him.
Radical Gifting wellbeing box delivery
A photo of three women sitting in armchairs in a communal living area with a large cardboard box open on the coffee table between them. One woman is holding some printed booklets from the box and talking to the woman receiving the box while the third woman looks on and smiles.
Radical Gifting Box Drop Off, to Co-Creator and Participant, Stephanie, with Artist, Louise, Creative Producer, Mandy
Photo showing a pair of hands outstretched on a table with their palms facing up. There is a smooth white stone in each hand and each pebble has a different photo of the night sky printed on it.
Radical Gifting Box Drop Off, with Co-Creator and Participant, Stephanie

“The session had such a positive effect on Steff she was being very interactive with staff showing them her photographs of when she was in India. 

I will print them off for Stephanie. This experience has really made a difference to Stephanie, she seems to be much more sociable, spends less time in her room, has made a new friend who she spends time with, and has been more chatty generally. This seems to have made such a positive impact on her.  

This project really brought Stephanie out of her shell, by taking part she visited a place in herself she had not thought about for a long time.” – Elaine, Barton Court Centre Manager 

This project asks how we might work together to explore the potential impact of “Radical gifting,” referring to the act of offering a gift without expectation of receiving anything in return. Radical Gifting is designed around gift making and receiving, with the aim of fostering wellbeing and generating interconnectedness with/between people experiencing social isolation.

It builds on our 2022 project, Soft Fascination, conceived collaboratively with artist Selina Thompson. Where Soft Fascination explored wellbeing and social isolation following collaboration between the artists, Radical Gifting now extends the collaboration to the socially isolated participants from the outset, evolving into a project of intimate co-design.

For this commission we’ve partnered with coastal permaculture group Flints, Kent County Council Community Wardens, Barton Court Care Home, and Copperfields Care Home. We are also appreciate of Porchlight, who welcomed us into their community open door sessions for our collaborative production of the items for the wellbeing box. Recipients of the wellbeing boxes have included folks from Age UK, Porchlight, KCC Positive Wellbeing, and various care homes at this stage.

Radical Gifting’s first phase was made possible thanks to funding from Age UK, Canterbury City Council, Kent Community Foundation from Kent Reliance Provident Society , Kent County Council, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Philip and Connie Phillips Foundation. Many of whom we are grateful to be working with as we enter the second phase, continuing the rich coastal theme, radical care, and co-design structure of phase one.

We value hearing from you – you are invited to share what ‘social isolation’ means to you on our anonymous form here.

Photo looking across a table of objects including dried seaweed and starfist, various sheets of reflective and patterned card, pieces of plastic bottles and foil, and a pair of cardboard glasses with plastic lenses. To the side of the table someone is holding a second pair of cardboard glasses but only their hands are visible.
Radical Gifting co-creation session between artist and participant
Group 930