The Buxhall Bee
Bee (noun): a community social gathering in order to perform some task, engage in a contest, etc.
Launched at the Hackney Wick Festival in September 2010, The Buxhall Bee is a project organized by artist Lucy Harrison with residents of Buxhall Crescent, Hackney Wick. Based around the interests and activities of people in the area, the project includes a community newspaper and events including a swap shop and communal lunch.
Lucy Harrison has worked on several location based projects focusing on the people who live there, including Canvey Island, Essex, and Stratford. Her projects often start out or culminate in a publication, giving people the chance to keep something as a memento and take pride in their contribution. Organised workshops as well as word-of-mouth and informal conversation build up new networks. These form part of the legacy of the projects, and have included the continuation of the Canvey Island Rendezvous Club and the setting up of the Canvey Community Archive by the group of people who met during the ‘Canvey Guides’ project.
Wide distribution brings the location to the attention of people outside that particular area; in the case of locations near to the Olympic site this celebrates what is already there rather than dwelling on what is coming in from elsewhere. Harrison’s projects build up an unofficial, personal and fragmentary view of the places and people she works with.