Up My Street

by The Cultural Assembly

Digital, Installation

An image of two people walking down the street pointing their phones at a mural on the wall.

Up My Street is an immersive, augmented reality street art and performance trail, experienced through a smartphone and headphones. This immersive experience brings street art and culture to life.

Imagine graffiti letters ‘dancing’ on the side of buildings, choreographed by award winning choreographer Kwesi Johnson. Or stepping into a portal that transports you into a world where you are surrounded by graffiti art, created by Scott Irvine (Brave Arts). Then you’re accompanied by the music of world champion beatboxer, Beatbox Hobbit as you and other audience members use your phone like a spraycan to create a 3D, augmented reality graffiti image.

Finally, the audience work as a group by using their phones like a spraycan, to create a 3D, augmented reality graffiti image along the high street, that can exist long after the festival ends to enhance community cohesion and footfall.

About The Cultural Assembly

The Cultural Assembly (TCA) is a creative agency and the creative arm of award-winning ReSpace Projects. Led by Kwesi Johnson (formerly of Hip-Hop dance company, Kompany Malakhi) and Maya Alexander.

The Cultural Assembly is a cultural agency/performance company that aims to use street art and culture to revive struggling high streets and shopping centres, by ReSpacing empty commercial properties and creating remarkable experiences that bring people, innovation and the arts together.

They aim to create arts and cultural experiences to help struggling town centres make a transition from a retail only based economy to an experiential one where art, performance, creativity, community and innovation are at the heart of that transition.

An image of a man and woman taking a photo or filming something with their mobile phones. The man is wearing a blue baseball cap, face mask and brown jacket, and the woman is wearing a red jacket.
An image of a woman with her back to the camera pointing her phone at something with a grassy background.
An image of a man with his fist in the air. He is wearing a scarf wrapped around his face and a green jacket, and holding a phone in his other hand. There is a man in front of him with his back to the camera wearing a blue baseball cap.

Creative / Production Credits

Choreography/Creative Direction
Kwesi Johnson

Digital/Film/Motion Capture
FENYCE

Music
Beatbox Hobbit

Graffiti Artist
Scott Irvine (Brave Arts)

Funding, commissioning and partner credits:

Up My Street is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Brighton Festival.

Further commissioning, funding and support from One Chelmsford, Chelmsford City Council, David Wright and Queen Mary University. and R&D investment from Without Walls Blueprint.