Would Like to Meet – Scottee, coming to a Sesame Street near you… [Photo: Holly Revell]
For COMPASS FEST 2018, estate agent hoardings advertising residents’ hobbies will be kick-starting conversations in lonely suburban streets, says SARAH WHITEHOUSE.
St Peter’s Mount in Bramley is the unlikely location for upcoming Compass Art Festival installation, Would Like to Meet. It’s not gentrified. And it’s not genteel, either. It’s just normal.
And so is Scottee, the north London artist and spoken word performer behind Would Like to Meet. After reading the blurb on Compass Festival’s website, I ask him to describe the project in his own words.
“They are my own words!” he laughs. “I’m really precious about that – I don’t want to use poncy art language. There’s too much of that in the world as it is.
Breaking Down Barriers
“I’m thirty-three – and for thirty-one years of my life I’ve lived in social housing. That’s my inspiration. There, I spoke to my neighbours, we all got on, but when I moved into a house on a street, I realised people don’t know each other. They don’t even like to leave the house at the same time as their neighbours. It’s weird.
“So Would Like to Meet is a bit of a social experiment about isolation in urban environments – who knows how it will pan out? I picked St Peter’s Mount in Bramley because it’s a real mix of people – some are family houses, some are split into flats, some tenants are friends, most are commuters.
“When I turned up and saw some people have parking cones to reserve their own spaces, I knew this was the right street.”
Analogue Facebook
“I’ll be doing interviews on the doorsteps with residents, having a chat and working out what type of people they would like to meet. Then, I’m taking that information and making estate agent-style signs to post outside their house with a summary of their interests. I’m trying to kick-start conversations, and maybe even some friendships.
“The residents have got a Facebook group, but they don’t use it. So yeah, I guess this is like an analogue Facebook. It’s already got people talking – asking is St Peter’s Mount the loneliest street in Leeds?
“My producer grew up in Leeds, so she was keen to do something here. When you get off the train at Leeds station there’s this immediate, friendly warmth. I like that and that’s what I want to explore.
“Once we can actually see someone, and what their interests are, and what makes them human, we’re more likely to look out for each other.”
Would Like to Meet runs at St Peter’s Mount, Bramley, LS13 3NF from Saturday 17th – Sunday 25th November, all part of Compass Festival 2018. Details here.