From Hollywood to Fleetwood

Gillian began her LeftCoast residency in 2020 when she moved onto a Fleetwood estate. Through her socially-engaged practice, she built meaningful relationships with locals to understand the intricacies of living in the neighbourhood so she could start to create useful work.

As she dropped off material or picked up finished scrubs, Gillian stared to have conversations with locals about the artwork they were producing behind closed doors.  

Inside Out is the project that brought together the often unseen and under-represented creative talents and skills of the people of Fleetwood and surrounding areas. 

The exhibition, which was located at the old Fleetwood Hospital (a derelict building at the time) was a celebration of all things creative and became a place where individuals could talk about their work and share their inspiration.

As restrictions eased, Gillian began working with a group of residents to transform their communal areas. They built raised flower beds, planted vegetables, and organised seed swaps. The residents started to call themselves the Greenfield Growers.

In 2022, Inside Out was nominated for a Creative Lives Award, which celebrates voluntary and community-based creativity. The project was recognised by the prestigious charity, and came away as England's runner up.

Gillian will also hold workshops for residents at LeftCoast's new Library and Laundry Room community build, Wash Your Words, which featured in the Oslo Architecture Triennale of inspiring neighbourhood projects.