MAKE @ Story Garden

The Public Collaboration Lab, funded by UAL and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, generated a range of social innovation projects between 2016-18. This collaborative design research led to an exhibition and staged events at the Lethaby Gallery in July 2018, showcasing the values of a collaborative maker culture which focuses on knowledge sharing and cooperation.

This MAKE event successfully tested the concept of a 3rd space learning environment and creative co-working space, through engaging Central Saint Martins, the local community and partners with a week of ‘pop up’ events. This informed the proposal that led to Make @ Story Garden situated behind the British Library in 2019 - as an infrastructure and economic model for an open access space for innovation, learning, enterprise and employability.

MAKE @ Story Garden was a public studio for creative collaboration with, and by, the local communities from Somers Town and St Pancras in Camden. The aim was to bring local people together with students and staff from Central Saint Martins around a programme of arts and creative activities, skills development and projects that address local and global issues.

MAKE embraced the skills and talents of people who live and work in Somers Town and the wider Camden area to address local issues and social challenges and to help widen participation in arts and cultural experiences – from making clothes to tackling the climate emergency.

The first phase of the MAKE @ Story Garden project between 2019 and 2021 was a collaboration between Central Saint Martins, Somers Town Community Association, Camden Council and Lendlease. The second phase of the project, from April 2021 onwards, is under the management and oversight of Somers Town Community Association/The Living Centre in Partnership with Central Saint Martins.