Commissioned by Newcastle Council as part of a Covid recovery programme, Sally Southern and I installed themed Bus Shelters in 3 areas of the city, responding to the ongoing Covid pandemic. It was a time where there were still some restrictions in place, but people were just beginning to process the changes.
We asked the question "What kept you gong throughout Covid?". People's responses included nature and gardening, so our two bus shelters in Lemington focussed on outdoor woodlands and a potting shed. We also asked "What are you missing?". The two most commented things were pubs and socialising. In Blakelaw, we created a Christmas living room with a place setting for 1, and encouraged people to check on their loved ones and neighbours who may be feeling isolated. At that time, the government banned us from seeing loved ones at Christmas. We gave out handmade gifts created with the community and encouraged people to pass them on.
In Shieldfield we recreated a pub to celebrate the opening of social environments and recreated the potting shed. encouraging people to plant up bulbs and join in the activities.