Sometimes you need to look elsewhere to appreciate whats right in front of your Nose.
KiUYH - A new Arts and community hub as tool Box for reinvigorating central Inverness.
The Creative underbelly of Inverness hosts many great Creative people trying to find a voice and a place to be. So many people working from home and missing interaction and creative space.
So many people that cannot afford a studio.
Its highly unlikely that Top down process will solve their problem and consequently Inverness might be stuck in base line " through " tourism and its "depot" narrative. Sensing that It' was about time for the Arts to be given a voice. As well as raw commerce - A small collective formed . Firm in writing and adhering to a constitution KiUYH as a think tank , listened and recorded the views of others can in an exemplary way. They are expressing the formation of a new narrative for Urbanism. An Urbanism that is inclusive and contextual. They found themselves some good white space ...in the former "Whites Electrical Factory " and approached the Big Lottery for some help with Feasibility.
We surveyed and drew up the Building and then helped develop their vision. We developed an infrastructure budget and operational strategy as feasibility study . The basis being bottom up feeder for progressive Arts. Culture and community . In effect a transition Hub that engaged the forgotten components of the Urban framework . The kids and the elder states people in their mature years.
One where mobile studio space could be based and rolled out . Where the boundaries of working and parenting were softened, Where engagement could begin. KiUYH - mission statement “The aim of the organisation shall be to establish a multi-cultural community cooperative business, for the benefit of the community in Inverness and the surrounding area, and to provide a forum for all those who wish to engage with that process.”
Karen Fenton says - " we bumped into Andrew at a Community empowerment event in Glasgow and he mentioned some recent community engagement work being undertaken in Old Govan" Aha …and I pulled out a constitution from under a hat and remarked “Community engagement+ mobile tools … that’s what KIUYH is about. " In the summer of 2103 Karen asked for help to develop thinking and engaged us to work on "our business plan and assessment of the suitability of a number of buildings we weere considering?"
" Scoping, organization and consideration was already substantial and Andrew helped us formulate an application to Big Lotteries – “ Investing in Ideas” program. "
The work on the feasibility study was approved in November 2013 and we commenced the work shortly thereafter. We viewed a number of buildings but Andrew encouraged us to primarily focus on our preferred option - A redundant Electrical factory at Harbor Road in the Inverness - Longman Industrial Estate . Andrew was sensitive and passionate about our aims and objectivs and he helped our emerging social Enterprise test the suitability of the Building for our proposed purpose. at the end of the process we had tested the feasibility thoroughly "
Whilst Inverness looks at reconfiguring its town center and environs on Jan Gehl’s – “Cities for people” principles .. This bottom up process hub is evolving to fit that.
Evolving to BE humane and approachable !
Slowly Slowly
Feasibility completed and successfully delivered to "Investing in Ideas " Program.
Thank you to The Big Lottery - Fund
Post script :- KiUYH need volunteers to help to realise their vision. Contact - Karen Fenton - neraknotnef@yahoo.co.uk
TO VIEW THE FEASIBILITY REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE BIG LOTTERY PLEASE HIT THE LINK BELOW
Photographic study and record of building and its site as found - Hit link for the document
What Underlies the present - A study - Hit link to see full document