Introduction:
A codesign event was held at East Brighton Café, over a period of 4 hours with representatives of community groups from the Whitehawk area. This included Friends of Whitehawk Hill, Craven Wood, Whitehawk Community Food Project and Allotments and individual members of the community who had supported activities operating in the space. The session was chaired by Cate Grundy, University of Brighton and organised by Sara Fernee, Trust for Developing Communities. There were 8 attendees in total.
The general aims were to:
- gather local opinion about the use of interactive exhibits and signage to raise public awareness of the valuable heritage of the Whitehawk area (both natural and historical) and to encourage community engagement.
- inspire creative input towards their design, including key themes, content and the locations they represent.
Outcomes of the session will support a wider proposal to include a range of other interventions and activities with similar aims to raise the profile of the area.
Method
Two main tasks were introduced to participants, one building on the findings of the other.
Task 1:
An activity to stimulate conversation about different locations and their features, exploring a range of subjects of possible interest to the community and wider public
Fig 1. Treasure Map
Participants were allocated into pairs, and each pair provided with a map of the area, figure 1. They were asked to mark what they thought were important features and locations for signage.
A series of annotated images were also offered, figure 2, with different and varied subjects to prompt discussion about possible content for communication on site.
The activity and discussion continued for around 90 minutes, and the visual tools allowed each person to participate, whether outspoken within the group or not.
Figure 2 Subject prompt examples
Fig 2. Subject prompt examples
Task 2:
The second phase included a tool to help decide priorities for communication, when reviewing the initial revelations in part 1. The activity also provided opportunity to discuss connecting themes that could tie subjects together.
Fig 3. Bullseye Diagram
This task was also conducted in pairs and participants were provided with a bullseye diagram as in figure 3.
In the centre, they were asked to place themes and content they thought vital, in the outer rings information that they considered to be less important. Other content could be placed between these two extremes.
Results:
Task 1:
The maps created by the group are included in Appendix 3.
There was consensus that a combination of interactive and normal signage could be helpful to the aims. Despite some initial reservations about using technology when immersed in nature, objections were overcome once the principles of AR were explained in the context of the problem.
Placement of signage:
Suggested locations for signage were marked on the maps.
- introductory signage (interactive or not) at the pedestrian entrance to distinct areas, indicating their significance, e.g. pointing out nature reserves, the chalk hill, Craven woods, Whitehawk camp, Allotments, Community areas etc.
- introductory signage at each car park relevant to key areas.
- It was further suggested that introductory boards could lead to more detailed signs or trails to expand on the specific features of each area, such as wildflowers and butterflies in the chalk area, birds, or trees in the woodland.
- gathering spaces, e.g. café.
- viewpoints, e.g. the top of a hill to point out features.
- It was also suggested that perhaps signage within urban areas might entice visitors to the more natural spaces nearby.
- Possibly schools and forest schools.
- Perhaps having linked or the same media related to the outdoor displays on a central website. Creating visual or content related links between the two media was considered helpful.
Themes:
Many different themes were discovered that could be addressed when conveying information to the public. This could be via interactive displays or via linked information on the website, this distinction was not made initially. Themes included:
- A map indicating different features and types of landscape, from woodland to meadows, hills to ancient settlements, perhaps old landfill areas.
- The above with accessibility information, different types of terrain and suitability for sports, e.g. cycling.
- The beauty of the area and creating opportunities to slow down and appreciate the space
- The work of different community groups, perhaps videos to show them in action, calls to action and possibly fundraising.
- Specific plants and wildlife that occupy a habitat, e.g. trees, mosses, lichens, insects, butterflies that are attracted only to certain plants on the chalk areas.
- interactive bird song boards and information about migration
- Conservation concerns and the use of management techniques (including sheep grazing) especially to maintain the rare chalk grasslands.
- Food poverty, growing food and foraging.
- Behavior change in the environment and personal empowerment to help nature.
- Wildlife corridors
- Seasonal changes of plants and wildlife
- The history of the people using the site (including Whitehawk Camp and ‘fish on heads’ stories!).
- Storytelling and involving community voices.
- How the space was formed over time and its geology.
- Traditional management skills, e.g. coppicing.
- Local arts and their history, e.g. pottery.
- Opportunities for people to immerse themselves in the awe and beauty of the space, e.g. informing people about view locations and introducing forest bathing techniques, such as smelling plants, listening.
- Links to current events and community engagement activities
Task 2.
Central Themes indicated included:
- Mapping out all key areas to give them status and help people find and access them (terrain)
- The interdependence of all life, e.g. nature, people and community. Also promoting the beauty and wellbeing aspects of spending time in the space.
- Awareness boards, ‘you are entering a nature reserve’
- Regeneration, the significance of the rare chalk hill habitat and its management
- The unique history of Whitehawk Camp
The point about interdependence also provoked a discussion about how we could create an overview of the area that illustrates the relationship between nature, people and their community perhaps also related to our history.
Secondary themes were generally specific to spaces:
- identifying wildlife and features specific to a space.
- community activities within an area and how to get involved, e.g. food or conservation
- enjoying a space, wellbeing, nature connection, storytelling.
- historical features particular to a location.
- Seasonal information and changes over time
- Bringing community together and specific events
Other themes might be appropriate for more information on a website, e.g. detailed histories or facts about creatures.
Interpretation
Overview and connecting themes
An idea emerged about the “interdependence of all life” discussed in Task 2, to tie elements together. Through interactive signage, a collaged animation could be presented, emphasizing the significance for human life and wellbeing of community, conservation and alignment with nature. This could also include a historical perspective and how we can learn from the past.
Perhaps this would be part of an introductory board (with a map), leading to further, more specific boards for each area.
Possible specific area signage:
- Wildlife interpretation boards, with videos to support identification
- Video boards of wildlife showing how they depend on an area e.g. butterflies and specific plants and, therefore why conservation is important.
- Bird trails with song and information about migration, how it relates to environmental issues
- Storytelling in an area, perhaps seeing through the eyes of a creature/s and animation/ collage.
- Slide show or animation of different eras in a space, e.g. neolithic camp.
- Animated sequences that show Whitehawk woman or neolithic scenes.
- Benefits for people, growing or finding food, wellbeing, through inspiring videos
- Videos that enable people to feel empowered to play their part in regeneration/ action.
- Trees and plants, mosses and lichens, with id videos or static interpretation boards.
- Videos that show conservation tasks and the community at work, with a call to action
Timelines:
A feature common to many of the different themes and areas was considering changes over time. Animated media would be an effective way to communicate these principles and could provide a common visual connection across different areas.
For example, illustrating:
- how plant life varies across different seasons
- the abundance of species in the past, showing how they have declined in recent times and what planned regeneration and conservation would achieve in future
- the landscape and how it was formed in terms of its geology across millennia
- how habitats have changed
- changes in people and how communities have developed.
- Relationships with food and nature over time
Structure from prioritization
A possible structure for topics relating to interactive exhibits or static signage, is represented in the following diagram. The subjects shown are only examples of what could appear in specific spaces. Further co-design or stakeholder involvement sessions would be needed to refine the ideas and content.
APPENDIX 1: meeting pictures
APPENDIX 2: Treasure Maps
APPENDIX 3: Bullseye diagrams
