We are the people, this is the place

Liverpool's famous community media project tenantspin co-produced a project for Media Facades festival with local residents in Helsinki and Liverpool.

The project was realized via workshops focusing on local people's conceptions of normality and citizenship - led by artist Alex Harrison together with community programme leader Laura Yates and tenantspin members Ian McNeill and Lucy Gonzales.

In May 18-24, 2010, tenantspin conducted the first workshop in Kontula, Eastern Helsinki, with participants from the Symppis community centre. A workshop with the same brief will be realised in Liverpool's Anfield/Breckfield. The resulting two video programmes - Kontula News and Four Bricks - built a bridge between two neighbourhoods during the Media Facades 2010 festivals in Helsinki and Liverpool.
 

tenantspin is a Liverpool-based community media project which has achieved international recognition and has created a successful model to engage artists and local residents in media production.  Initiated by FACT Foundation for Art & Creative Technology in 1999, tenantspin was one of the first community media projects to practice online webcasts.

The project was part of Media Facades artist residency exchange between m-cult and FACT. It was realized in collaboration with HIAP Helsinki International Artist Programme, Kontupiste and Symppis and with support from the Finnish Institute in London.

The project premiered in Kontula (Ostostie 3) during Helsinki's Night of the Arts, August 27 and screened again during the festival's final evening programme at Lasipalatsi Square. In Liverpool, the films will be screened at the BBC Big Screen throughout September.