Colourful community arch

Dynamic, playful and inclusive festival centrepiece

CLIENT: Co-commissioned by In-Situ-In-Place as part of Pendle Festival of Culture (This is Nelson) and The National Festival of Making

CATEGORY: Arts and Culture

PROJECT TYPE: Public Art, Design, fabrication, installation and community workshops

LOCATION: Lancashire

MATERIALS: Birch plywood, PAR timber, composite plastics

PHOTOGRAPHER: Hayley Salter

APPROACH:

Notably, our Welcome Arch was longlisted for the MacEwen Award 2025, a celebration of 30 projects which epitomise architecture for the common good.

Commissioned for the Pendle Festival of Culture, Nelson, and the National Festival of Making, Blackburn, the Welcome Arch was created in a collaborative process involving residents and reflects a sense of place. During the two festivals, the Welcome Arch was a prominent part of the pop-up built environment and a highly visible place for audiences to gather. A place to sit and converse, as well as enjoy workshops, the arch fulfilled a ceremonial function at the festival’s opening, and is now used at a community hub in Nelson.

The vibrant design was informed by the local communities, reflecting the sense of place and geography, drawing together what unites them. We hosted creative workshops which focused on meaningful conversations with intergenerational groups, fostering connections between participants and their local surroundings. Focusing on the positive energy of these communities, colourful viewfinders, akin to wearing rose-tinted glasses, were created to invite the audience to look with a fresh perspective. By looking forward, we made a vibrant and joyful design, and this collective endeavour was celebrated at both festivals.