Slide 20_ The final presentation

During The last presentation, we went to Denver's community hall at the Men's Hostel, the whole community was there to listen to our ideas and to see our work for the past 7 weeks which was displayed on the walls of the Community Hall. 

Image taken in the Denver Commnity Hall

Slide 19_ The Tool

The tool, a pamphlet that folds up into seven steps, which share our experience in Denver, the lessons we learnt. This goes back to the point of mutual benefits; we wanted the community to learn from our experience and start their own experience of finding information that would lead to an intervention that benefits the whole community. 

The top part of the pamphlet is about our experience in Denver, The bottom part is a space where the community members would right their own experiences in relation to our experience on site. 

 

Slide 18_ CAP

CAP- Community Action Plan

Our Community Action Plan was a tool in the form of a pamphlet that would help the community take the same steps we took during the seven weeks to find an intervention that would benefit the community and present it to the NGO's and Government Officials. 

The "Tool"

Slide 17_ Feedback

With our site model and intervention ideas in hand; we went to speak to our clients about the information we had and ask for their input. This turned out to be very productive and it gave group an idea of where the community was standing with regards to our ideas. 

image showing our site feedback

Slide 16_ Social space

Kholokazi Ngoma (me), Aisha Balde and Kgoa Mashego designed an intervention that address social activity which would then promote a sense of community. We did that by designing an intervention that would enhance the existing social space which we found out is a space where people would meet and socialize around because it had a resource that the whole community needed.

A diagram explaining our intentions

Slide 15_ Identity

The first intervention proposal; was done by Binaica Morar and Rudelle Buzuidenhout. The concept addressed both ownership and identity which are both lacking on our site. As we talked to people on site, we found that they did not view Denver as a home rather a temporary space and that affected how some of the spaces looked because when something is of no importance to you, you do not have the desire to take care of it. 

Color coded stoeps to created a sense of ownership and belonging

The mp on plan

Slide 14_ Identifying sites

We came up with five sites for our four interventions; the interventions were all unique but each of 

them were loyal to the group's overall intentions. 

Slide 13_ Zooming in

We decided to become more specific about our intentions; and we looked at physical solutions to the problems we mapped out. 

Diagram illustrating possible solutions

Slide 12_ Catalytic Interventions

After our brainstorm session; which we found very productive, we focused on benefits of solving the problems we found together with the community and how solving those problems would benefit the community. 

Slide 11_ Construction Brief

We were issued a construction brief which required us to research interventions that would serve as catalysts for more interventions on our site. For us to do that, we had to brainstorm about problems we saw on site and also talk to the residents so we could detail an intervention that addressed a multiplicity of problems. 

A diagram that illustrates the problems that we chose to deal with as a group

Slide 10_ Catch up after Congress

During the catch up week after congress, the next session was to update each other about what we had done during the congress week. This was us as students trying to reach common ground by the students in Durban updating us about their experience in congress and us who were in Johannesburg having to update them about our experience on site as a smaller group. 

Pictures taken by kholokazi ngoma

Slide 9_ Back from Congress

When the rest of the class came back from congress they got the chance to also give back to Denver by adding to the Painting. This started the tradition of adding to the painting whenever there was a change to the site, this added more accuracy to the painting. 

For us as students, it felt great to finally leave something behind which would be beneficial to the community.

Slide 8_ Congress Week

During Congress week, I stayed behind and I got to interact with the site as well as other groups. We painted the map on the wall which the community and the NGOs appreciated. They said that the mural would help them find their way around the site. 

Slide 7_ PechaKusha

This was the most valuable PechaKusha during our time in Denver because, for the first time residents saw our work and were able to ask questions and have conversations about it; something that they never got with top-down operations. They were very happy to see us coming to them and asking opinions from them. This was an exercise that in my opinion, brought us closer to a common ground. 

image taken by Kholokazi Ngoma

Slide 5_ More Engaging, More Findings

From communicating and engaging with the site and community we found interesting information that we would not have found had we been working from studio. Information like the way the electric cables are hung and they problems with sewage and the ownership of each shack is the kind of invaluable information we found from "drinking tea" with the residents of Region F. 

Slide 4_ Mapping our Findings

From engaging with the site and community members we found a lot of errors in the information that we had. We found that the existing map of the area was invalid so we all had to come together as a group, communicate our findings and map them out accurately. 

Map sketch by Kgao Mashego

 Slide 3_ Engaging with Site F

After finding a few volunteers we asked them to show us around Site F, so we could engage with the site and the community members. We found a lot people who were happy to share with us after we clearly told them about our intentions. They told us about spaces they liked and did not like, safe and unsafe spaces and most importantly; their thoughts about the community.

Abstract Painting by Binaica Morar

With this information we mapped out and created abstract maps of feelings from both our experience and the experience of the community members in an attempt to reach common ground. 

Slide 2_ Common Ground

Our greatest intention was to find common ground, reach a point where we can combine our knowledge with the residents of Denver and reach a common goal for the area. This was a very challenging task which I don't think we eventually achieved.

Abstract drawing by Kholokazi Ngoma