Our Work

The Growing Room is a 30 minute film which captures the perceptions
of the people who live, work, play and study in the borough of Enfield in north London about the greening of the Hertford Road area.  

This PerceptionAREA project is a creative public consultation developed by Haring Woods with artist Karen Lois Whiteread >>

Click here for more extracts from the Growing Room film >>

As one of London’s largest boroughs, over two thirds of Enfield are open spaces or green belt land with a wealth of country and urban parks, farmland and fields. However, when walking or driving down the Hertford Road not much greenery is visible. 

Haring Woods Associates commissioned artist Karen Lois Whiteread to work with people of Enfield to consider what ideas they would have for the ‘Greening of the Hertford Road’. In particular, what could be done to improve the unused land on the corner of Painters Lane and the entrance into Enfield at the Holmesdale Tunnel boundary. Karen set up a mobile container called ‘The Growing Room’ on the Hertford Road, at the corner of Painter’s Lane, providing a friendly, neutral space, where the community would be encouraged to voice their hopes, fears and aspirations about their local environment. In addition she ran creative workshops with children and young people from three local schools, capturing their ideas for the ‘Greening of the Hertford Road’.

Karen's proposal for the Growing Room container where she filmed interviews with local people.

The views expressed on this DVD will be used by Enfield Council to turn the ideas of residents and young people, into real development ideas. This could mean a new pocket park, the removal of the Holmesdale wall or simply leaving the spaces as they are to be enjoyed by local people.

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