What could our kitchens and corner shops look like in Tower Hamlets if we had a large-scale, community-led food system? If local people could be empowered by a system unbeholden to big corporations and instead led by care, abundance and justice?
This food system we dream of centres love and respect between people and the Earth nourishing us. It declares that every person deserves access to fresh, healthy and culturally appropriate foods. It links food justice to the movements for abolition and housing, migrant and queer justice. It recognises that food is our most intimate connector to the land, to each other, and to ourselves.
The Blueprint Architects
Centring those who experience colonial, racial, gender and class violence, we regularly gather a group of 36 local food organisers and residents dedicated to creating a ‘blueprint’ for a radical new food system in Tower Hamlets. These are our Blueprint Architects.
For three years now and in collaboration with Women’s Environmental Network, we have been gathering local wisdom through a community-led research process. The Blueprint Architects are already modelling fairer food systems on their own scale. In a rapidly gentrifying urban borough like Tower Hamlets, we believe this work is vital.
The role of the artist is to make revolution irresistible
– Toni Cade Bambara
As the project evolves, we look to build participatory arts installations that weave together people’s food stories and collective dreams. These installations will be shaped by creations from the community – developed through a series of participatory arts workshops. Watch this space to get involved!
