A map like no other
More than a practical tool for getting from A to B, The Middlesex Map was created by users of Artizan Street Library and tailored to residents of the Middlesex Street Estate and Middlesex Street. Intertwined with everyday roads and footpaths, the map also offers direction towards places of community, creativity, green space, and practical wellbeing support.
In 2022, we successfully secured a Stronger Communities Grant from The City of London. This money was to support us in facilitating workshops to connect with the residents of Middlesex Estate in East London, exploring the pandemic’s impact on mental health and moving toward the co-creation of a public artwork.
The culmination of this work is The Middlesex Map. Unfold it completely and at the heart you’ll find a memory map. Memories and stories were collated through creative writing workshops with locals, as well as chats and moments of connection with people that came through Artizan Street Library. The memory map celebrates the library corners, park swings and fifth-floor balconies which become resting places for our stories. The Middlesex Map is a resource and also a gift. It can be used, kept, or passed on to someone else.
The map launched in October 2023 at Artizan Library’s week of making, and it was very well received. 50 maps were given to a local historian to hand out at local haunts; 30 maps were given out and displayed in the library itself; 235 were given to the Middlesex Estate team for a door drop, to ensure as many locals can access this important resource.
The Middlesex Map is available to pick up for free from Artizan Street Library, or from Coney HQ.
Credits
Made by Coney, here represented by Zoe Callow, Shankho Chaudhuri, Eliza Cass, Emily Davis, Rhianna Ilube and Jess Sanders.
Commissioned by the City of London Corporation through the Stronger Communities Fund.
With thanks to the Artizan Street Library, Laurie Allen, Claire Doolan, Lennox Van Der Put, Faouzi Mellouki, Matthew Ring, Brian Rothfeder and Paul and Jo from Artizan Library.
