Capturing Brentford Through Young People’s Eyes
How can development truly reflect the communities it sits within? At Hadley, we believe one answer lies in inviting local people to directly shape how projects are represented and experienced.
During the summer, we partnered with eight young people from Brentford, aged 13-16, to explore how their perspectives could inform the design of our upcoming site hoardings. Each participant was given a film camera and asked a simple question: What does Brentford mean to you?
They were given the cameras a week in advance of a workshop, and over the course of the week, they documented the people, places and details that stood out; from favourite landmarks and green spaces to everyday moments that capture the spirit of their neighbourhood. Their images were as diverse and personal as the young people themselves, offering a fresh lens on what makes Brentford special.
We then hosted a creative workshop where the group came together to share and reflect on their photos collectively. With plenty of pizza to fuel the conversation, the session sparked lively discussions about what they love most about Brentford, what they feel is important to represent, and the stories they want others to see.
These photographs and ideas will now be passed to the hoarding design team, who will translate them into the visual language of the site hoardings. This ensures that the designs don’t just mark the boundary of a development site, but tell a story rooted in the community, seen and shaped through the eyes of its young people.
We look forward to sharing the finished hoardings in the coming months.
