In-Situ

In-Situ Art. Ideas. Connections. Rooted in Pendle. Also at
This is Nelson.

We’ve been exploring how embedding intergenerational mentorship within a project supports the empowerment, confidence an...
13/07/2026

We’ve been exploring how embedding intergenerational mentorship within a project supports the empowerment, confidence and agency of young people.

The This Is Nelson Young People’s Group worked with RESOLVE Collective over several months, transforming the upstairs of 3B systems into a “dream space” for creativity, socialising, and skill-building.

This was followed by collaborating with musician collective Agony Massive in learning new skills and hosting events in 3B systems.

In-Situ are looking at how 3B can be used over the next few years, with a view to exploring how to use the space to support community-led projects and ideas including local artists spaces, hires and place for ground-up ideas to flourish.

Led by artist Dana Olărescu and her Taste of Transformation work, together with Super Slow Way, Food Nelson explores foo...
08/07/2026

Led by artist Dana Olărescu and her Taste of Transformation work, together with Super Slow Way, Food Nelson explores food politics and community wellbeing and explores what a sustainable food system would look like for the people in Nelson.

Through workshops, shared meals, and experimental festivals, participants turn food politics into lived experiences and collective action and created Nelson’s Food Manifesto.

“We began to centre the This Is Nelson Collective gatherings around food. It starts to share the leadership out - rather than information sharing being ‘top down’, sharing food at the same time makes everything less formal and it becomes more of a conversation” (Michael Powell, In-Situ).

We’ll continue to explore this way of holding conversations alongside enjoying food, working with Youth Works, a group of young cooks from Marsden Heights who have been hosting community meals locally, and Super Slow Way, alongside Dana.

📸 Jack Bolton & Diane Muldowney

Zoya Bhatti, In-Situ staff member and Nelson resident, saw her own understanding and practice as an artist-practitioner ...
06/07/2026

Zoya Bhatti, In-Situ staff member and Nelson resident, saw her own understanding and practice as an artist-practitioner progress as her work with young people and This Is Nelson developed around her.

"When I grew up, youth culture meant meeting mates in a certain location at a certain time - hanging out in quarries, cool derelict areas. Now when we ask young people what youth culture looks like, many are don't know, because the digital world has changed the landscape."

“The time they are having with In-Situ is probably the only IRL time these young people are getting - conversing, exchanging and challenging. These sorts of third spaces which are not home/ school/ mosque; are so important.”

"The methodologies developed and tested through TIN - place-based, trust-led, genuinely collaborative- has naturally rippled into other areas of my work including Hillo Hub, around place-based practice, partnership work and space activation."

"Having the personal connection to place, strengthens my ability to create inclusive and welcoming spaces where participants feel confident sharing ideas and contributing creatively. All our sessions hold elements of playfulness, imagination, challenge, which are key to opening up new possibilities and skills."

"I’m finding that in Nelson, what's classed as arts and culture is being challenged through the work these young people are creating - there's a real confidence in these young people to bring these ideas forward and a real new found confidence in myself and my practice to be able to support these ideas further as pieces of art works connected to a place."

"Something big I am noting is the change from people asking: What’s the point of the work? to "how can my child be involved?" This has given me more confidence in my own work."

"Moving forward into future work with In-Situ and young people, I will carry forward a stronger understanding of youth-led practice, the importance of listening and building trust over time, and the value of creating inclusive spaces where young people feel ownership over both the process and outcomes of creative work."

Transforming Nelson’s disused spaces into creative and conversational hubs has been central to This Is Nelson.This is Ne...
02/07/2026

Transforming Nelson’s disused spaces into creative and conversational hubs has been central to This Is Nelson.

This is Nelson has been described as "a vehicle of civic pride" - a reimagining of what Nelson can be.

Spaces included Althams (old travel agents), 3B Systems (computer shop), Pendle Rise (former shopping centre), and outdoor public areas. Artists collaborated with local residents, embedding creative practices as tools for conversation, storytelling, and community building. We focused on participation, agency, and long-term relationships rather than just the final artwork.

3B Systems hosted exhibitions including British Textile Biennial artists Eva Sajovic and Alexis Maxwell who responded to today’s Nelson in collaboration with residents. The Young People’s Group transformed the space into a chill hub with support from artist collective RESOLVE. Over at Pendle Rise, we’ve hosted meetings, gigs, meals and crazy golf!

The This Is Nelson Collective have a shared vision for creating more welcoming public spaces in the coming months and years. We will continue to support this collective willingness to collaborate, create and care for our town.

01/07/2026

This is Nelson and Agony Massive invite you to:

Unlocking Nelson

Date: Tuesday 14th July
Time: 6pm-10pm
Location: Upstairs at 3B systems, Carr Road, Nelson, BB9 7JS

An immersive art exhibition inspired by youth culture in Nelson. Through sound and multimedia installations, this exhibition invites you to see Nelson through the eyes of its youth. Come unlock their stories and explore how young people’s experiences redefine this town.

Everyone welcome!
We hope to see you all there!



This Is Nelson's People’s Assemblies were open-to-all, with food and childcare provided. They began as fact-sharing sess...
01/07/2026

This Is Nelson's People’s Assemblies were open-to-all, with food and childcare provided. They began as fact-sharing sessions and evolved into joyous celebrations and community banquets with people discussing plans.

"knowing that we have a voice in building and shaping the community’s future not only empowers me but also inspires me to strive to create changes that benefit all."

"The sprit of community is only felt when you join, when you feel the enjoyment, be part of the noise and let your voice go in spaces where it never been."

"It takes time to build and maintain strong relationships. And sometimes you have to go small for these connections to be strong, when big is more visible, and often more valued".

Learning from This Is Nelson, we will continue to listen deeply to others, to value everyone's contribution and during Climate Lab Pendle. Testing a kind of participatory democracy model, we will hear what people think, before sharing this with decision makers, then returning to the same people for reflection.

This_is_Nelson and Agony Massive invite you to:Unlocking NelsonDate: Tuesday 14th JulyTime: 6pm-10pmLocation: Upstairs a...
01/07/2026

This_is_Nelson and Agony Massive invite you to:

Unlocking Nelson

Date: Tuesday 14th July
Time: 6pm-10pm
Location: Upstairs at 3B systems, Carr Road, Nelson, BB9 7JS

An immersive art exhibition inspired by youth culture in Nelson. Through sound and multimedia instillations, this exhibition invites you to see Nelson through the eyes of its youth. Come unlock their stories and explore how young people's experiences redefine this town!

Everyone welcome.
We hope to see you all there!

We met Ajaz Qureshi at one of This Is Nelson's People's Assemblies. A writer, performer and cultural practitioner from N...
22/06/2026

We met Ajaz Qureshi at one of This Is Nelson's People's Assemblies. A writer, performer and cultural practitioner from Nelson, he was later commissioned to create a piece of work for PRINT! one of the large-scale public art installations placed around the Town.

He became an integral member of the team, hosting People's Assemblies as well as the 2026 Pendle Festival of Culture, and is now central to our artists' networking group Anything, Here.

"I value This Is Nelson as it allows and enables individuals to ‘have a say’ in the projects as they are developed and realised in the town. The steering group placed importance on inclusivity, on hearing voices/thoughts/ideas with an openness of what it means to the town itself. The People's Assemblies, which have seen newcomers and returning residents take part, foster this sense of unity - belonging, identity, and purpose."

“Moving back to Nelson as a writer allowed me to reconnect to my hometown in a new way. Nelson is not only a place steeped in complex industrial history but a place with a living present with numerous voices and stories waiting to be heard.”

"As a ‘native’ resident of Nelson, I can honestly say that I have not been to as many community events as I have since the inception of the TIN project.

"The TIN project has enriched both my personal and professional relationships within the town, as well as my overall appreciation of Nelson - not only learning about Nelson through second-hand stories and histories, but by actively engaging with the place itself."

"Through the network of local residents, artists and creative practitioners, and community leaders I have connected with, I believe that TIN has facilitated the process of my work to becoming more culturally relevant.”

When we interviewed This is Nelson participants, a dominant theme emerged around the sense of connection the project has...
21/06/2026

When we interviewed This is Nelson participants, a dominant theme emerged around the sense of connection the project has created between young people, older people, neighbours of different faiths, artists, business-owners; people who might otherwise not have met.

A sense of collective purpose grew from these personal connections over the three years of This Is Nelson, and the This Is Nelson Collective emerged. Meeting and chatting in person and through WhatApp, decisions began to be made collectively as a result of the real friendships that were made between participants.

During the course of the three year programme, power began to shift from the ‘official’ partners of the programme, to local people.

It’s a model we’re keen to continue through our other work - seeing what happens when we expand decision-making out to a wider group of people than the core In-Situ team. We're testing out a kind of participatory democracy for Climate Lab Pendle, bringing the ideas from small group conversations to council decision-makers, then returning back to the same groups to discuss.

For more info about how we work - please get in touch via [email protected].

18/06/2026

🎤✨ Join us for some Talkaoke at the Pendle Festival of Culture✨ 🎤

Saturday 27th June

Part pop-up chat show, part social experiment and part community conversation, Talkaoke invites anyone and everyone to pull up a chair and join the discussion.

One minute the conversation might be about food, music or local history. The next it could be friendship, dreams, the future of Pendle or something completely unexpected.

Pull up a chair. Share your thoughts. Listen to others.
See where the conversation takes you!



Address

The Garage, Northlight, Glen Way
Brierfield
BB95HW

Telephone

+441282617995

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