‘Harlow Happenings’

Artists: Janetka Platun, Emily Whitebread and Dash Macdonald and Demirtios Kargostis
Location and Date: Harlow, Essex 2015

Harlow Happenings was the culmination of a year‑long programme of artists’ residencies at Gatehouse Arts, delivered in collaboration with ACAVA. The residencies explored contemporary aspirations for the public realm, including concepts such as sense of place, community ownership, and the emerging idea of the civic economy.

• Janetka Platun – Gigacycle: Investigated Harlow’s legacy of innovation at Standard Telecommunications Laboratories (STL), presenting a series of encounters that connected local pioneering research to global technological and intellectual impact.
• Emily Whitebread: Engaged Harlow’s youth, often excluded from formal consultation processes, to compare Sir Frederick Gibberd’s utopian vision for Harlow New Town with a contemporary vision shaped by young residents.
• Dash Macdonald & Demitrios Kargotis: Highlighted the work of local volunteers through a playful, spoof “edutainment” format, drawing attention to both the challenges and rewards of civic participation.

The artists uncovered overlooked histories and community activity, situating their work within the lived experiences of Harlow residents.

The project:

• Demonstrated how artists can reveal hidden narratives and amplify community voices
• Illustrated diverse approaches to interpreting sense of place and civic economy, unified by the theme of residents actively shaping their environment
• Strengthen local identity by connecting historical innovation, youth perspectives, and voluntary action to the town’s evolving character
• Provided a replicable model for how abstract policy concepts can be visualised and made tangible through creative practice.

Harlow Happenings successfully positioned Harlow as a site where artistic practice intersects with civic life. By commissioning artists to explore overlooked histories, youth aspirations, and voluntary action, the programme demonstrated how creative residencies can translate abstract ideas into accessible, community‑driven narratives. The project reinforced the notion that each town has a unique fingerprint, embodied in its public spaces and shaped by its people.