Whitmore Reans Re-mapped

GeoTone CIC is an arts and technology social enterprise with a mission to create and share innovative audio experiences with people who are disadvantaged, disabled, elderly, or living in remote locations.

We've spent time at Gatis Community Space, working with them over the summer to find out about the people who use the space and about the area. Our tactic was to make a nuisance of ourselves. We started off by interviewing everyone we could, asking them who they were and what Whitmore Reans means to them. We didn't know what to expect, but what we found were people with an extraordinary range of experiences and backgrounds. We met a violinist and entrepreneur in the making, a volunteer with multiple degrees, a gardener getting back on their feet, a sci-fi horror expert, a refugee whose passion is human connection and african jazz. They were all part of one community where they gave their time and energy to one another, making things happen.

Everything we recorded at Gatis has been put together for the Whitmore Reans Re-mapped audio walk, which takes you around the building and on our journey through this part of our world.

We also worked with people to contribute to one of Gatis's big projects, their Lantern Walk. It's an opportunity to bring people together and create a magical night. We decided that the Lanterns could be a character, and that the walk could tell a story that comes from Whitmore Reans. With the youth club and at drop-in sessions we created character biographies, stories, sound effects as well as recording songs and electronic music to help create a local folklore for the Lantern Parade.

To carry on the conversation on the days we weren't there we also installed our red telephone box, with the help of Gatis, as well as James Townend and Tom Morgan. We wanted to make a quiet, private space where people reflect on where they live, and imagine how it might be different.