BEGINNING 

We start by making connections.
A group, a club or organisation (such as a school or hospital), or a business, may come to us with an idea, or we might have an idea and look for a partner who could contribute to, or benefit from it. We discuss aims, find funding and connect partners with creative practitioners.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER 

We work with these partners and introduce new ones (such as museums, businesses and funding bodies) to put together a project that works for all involved - ensuring that all projects have social and creative elements. This is because we believe that a city where people know and value their neighbours, colleagues, and locality, and a city where people have worked together to create something, is a safer, stronger, brighter and more enjoyable city.

MAKING IT HAPPEN

Every project  is different, for example: one shows people from a single street how to research their own history, discovering who lives there now and who lived there a hundred years ago; another gets work colleagues to talk to each other in new ways, and take photographs of their workplace to see each other in a new light; a third involves the community of a new hospital in creating poetic art to furnish the hospital and encourage healing.
And because every project is different, the process of making it happen is just as important as the final output from each project – making sure that all our work brings people together, grows creativity and thereby the value of each other and their locality.

ARCHIVE

As the body of work builds up, a growing archive collects data and tells the story of our city. Existing as a digital and, ultimately physical space, it will preserve a record of all our work and welcome contributions from others. It will not only store data, but share it. We will harness the best technology, new media and design to make Living Derby visible in a permanent, virtual exhibition. Derby people will be able to access their past creativity, see what’s happening in the present, and take inspiration for the future.

The people of the rest of the world will see what Derby is - a bright, strong, self aware city and a hub of creative activity.

OUTPUT 

Every project we do has a high-quality creative product.It might be a sculpture, a film, a book. We encourage aspiration, ambition and high production values.

PERPETUAL MOTION 

We are kick-starting a cycle of creative energy, as one project leads to another. Our work will inspire confidence and show people how they can apply our principles on their estate, in their office, at their school. Being for and by the people of this city, Living Derby will be the starting point for anyone with an idea that they want to share and make happen...