Eclectic Projects Drawing in Social Space THREE Hassan Issah 1 Apr 2023 – 30 Apr 2023 Back The third Drawing in Social Space project was a collaboration with Ghanaian artist, Hassan Issah, young people from The Blue Youth, and Camberwell Fine Art students to explore the local neighbourhood of Bermondsey. Over three days, the youth centre became an active studio, filled with sketches, rubbings and photographs made alongside Hassan on zoom, in his studio in Kumasi. Time was spent at Drawing Room’s new site using the entrance gate as a focus to draw, discuss, document and question. Through drawings and collages, new gate designs were produced and displayed, by the young people, around shops, markets, fences, doors, walls and bus stops in the local area. Simultaneously, Hassan, placed printed copies of the young people’s work around Kumasi’s notice boards and streets, exploring the idea of public art, locally and internationally. Simrandeep Chana and Sheniz Elmaz- Golding (UAL BA Drawing students) assisted with the co-design and delivery of the workshops and produced new writing as creative responses to the project. Drawing in Social Space seeks to explore drawing beyond the gallery walls and in the context of public realm settings, creating connections locally and globally. It took place during Drawing Room’s relocation to permanent premises, during which it operated without a gallery space and developed the project in partnership with Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London, as a form of knowledge exchange. Hassan Issah (b.1993) lives and works in Kumasi, Ghana. He holds an MFA and BFA from the Department of Painting & Sculpture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Issah’s interest lies in the material and object culture in the Zongo communities, especially within Kumasi where he grew up. Seeing the material environment as a source of inspiration and investigation, he has been exploring the language of gates, their patterns, structures, stories and journeys. His practice explores ideas on theatricality, objecthood, and situations, whilst raising questions around what drawing, painting, sculpture and architecture could mean in our contemporary world. The Blue Youth is a youth club for 10 – 16 years based in and around Bermondsey. They host afterschool sessions as well as holiday clubs, offering a variety of activities and support for local young people. The Blue Youth are Drawing Room’s new neighbours, located on The Blue, Bermondsey, a 5-minute walk from our new site. Thank you to all involved: Alice, Aya, Dariush, Faith, Heidi, India, Isioma, Jayda, Kyan, Malachi, Maya, Richard and Yeesarah, young people from The Blue Youth Al Hassan Issah, Artist Alicja Orzechowska, Illustration, Student, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL Esme Wedderburn, Workshop Assistant and Photographer, Drawing Room Hassan Issah, Artist Jackie Bygrave, The Blue Youth Manager Kadie Edmonds, The Blue Youth, Youth Worker Misty Ingham, Projects and Partnerships Curator, Drawing Room Renee Odjidja, Fine Art Senior Lecturer, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL Sheniz Elmaz- Golding, Fine Art Drawing, Student, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL Simrandeep Chana, Fine Art Drawing, Student, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL Funded by Camberwell College of Arts, University of Arts London Scrapbook Is it the materials that lead you to city or the city that leads you to the materials? Hassan