Hear from kollektive., our crowdfunding alumni as they share their experience of developing the Southall Light Show project through Crowdfund London. The Mayor of London contributed £12,500 to help kollektive. reach their Crowdfund London target of £29,830 in 2017.
Tell us a bit more about your crowdfunding idea and how it came about
We wanted to celebrate the character of Southall through the symbolic medium of light for a number of reasons.
At the time of unveiling a collaborative sculpture in a local setting (prior to deciding to embark on our Crowdfund London project) the shocking news of the horrific attack on Westminster Bridge broke.
This saddening act of division increased our resolve to use art as a tool to celebrate unity in diversity in our locality - ten neighbouring places of worship can be found on a quarter-mile stretch of road in Southall; each serving people from around the world, all coexisting in harmony with each other.
These sites, along with other significant historical settings, including one of the few standing 1930s Gas Towers in the UK, became inspirations for light installations across Southall.
We knew we wanted to work at a larger scale and make more impactful work - Crowdfund London seemed like the right platform to take this step.
What inspired you to apply to Crowdfund London?
Our desire to transform local public spaces with original and unusual artistic experiences seemed to be a good fit with what Crowdfund London was encouraging and supporting.
The programme’s emphasis on celebrating diversity across London is central to what our project aims for. And the opportunity to be part of a cohort of really interesting community-led regeneration projects taking place in the capital appealed to us.
What was the biggest challenge you faced during the Crowdfund London application process and how did you overcome this?
Securing permissions for multiple sites including public squares, council and privately-owned buildings and other locations of interest proved to be a challenge - but also fun. Feeling really excited by what we were trying to achieve helped us persevere when faced with rejection. Being clear about the benefits our project brings and listening to the needs of collaborators went a long way.
Otherwise, the application process was really well structured by the friendly Crowdfund London and Spacehive Teams, through easy-to-use booklets explaining the process, emails with timelines and events where previous project creators shared knowledge and experiences.
Live webinars held by Spacehive provided a good chance to ask specific questions to our project and were packed with useful tips to gather momentum for our crowdfunding campaign. Their live chat button was put to good use for when we needed a quick answer to keep things moving!
Lessons learned from the campaigning process
Be prepared to describe your project to potential backers succinctly and frequently! Get in touch with local ward forums / councillors about your idea. Talk to businesses that connect well to the project, for example, we worked with a local carpenter, metal worker, tailor and lighting store.
What impact has the project had to date, where are you now and how are you looking to evolve?
So far, Southall Light Show has created sustained opportunities in the local community, including children, young adults, the elderly and those with access needs, to make and experience visual art in our immediate locality.
A series of ‘artistStudio’ sessions informing the content of light installations in a variety of locations temporarily reimagined familiar places.
To see people stop in their tracks in the street and consider their surroundings and themselves in an artistic sense instead of perhaps just a place to shop or travel through, has been liberating.
The journey has inspired lots of new ideas and trajectories, which are now being re-evaluated in light of the pandemic.
One piece of advice for organisations or individuals thinking of applying to Make London (and running their own crowdfunding campaigns)
The people running the programme are really rooting for you - which is a great feeling and very encouraging. It’s a fun process but expect to have moments when you’re not sure things will work out or move forward.
Some of your backers will become part of your team!
Photography by kollektive. and Matthew Andrews.