Desire Paths is part of Turf’s year exploring the theme ‘DEMYSTIFICATION’ and is Turf’s flagship project as part of  This is Croydon, London Borough of Culture 2023.

Nine locally connected artists and groups have been commissioned by Turf to create new work with a focus on disused and underused spaces around Croydon.

From August until November 2023, each ‘Desire Paths’ commission will involve a process of co-creation between artists and the public around the borough, exploring how communities and creatives can shape the places around them and forge their own paths in determining how Croydon’s spaces are used.

An artist-led charity founded by Croydon locals in 2013, Turf was set up to provide opportunities & space for creatives locally. Operating in ex-retail spaces in Croydon with an uncertain future due to as-yet-unrealised urban development, the questions we frequently found ourselves asking about who has power over space in our hometown acted as our starting point for Desire Paths;

How do spaces end up empty? How can we bring them back into use?

How can people be more actively involved in these processes, why aren’t they?

Who owns space in Croydon? What are the roles of culture, commerce & power in how space is shaped, valued and co-opted?

How does rapid change & regeneration impact our sense of wellbeing, stability, belonging & collective memory? 

How could Croydon forge its own path in determining how spaces and places are used?

London Borough of Culture is a Mayor of London initiative, with support from Arts Council England and National Lottery Heritage Fund. The This is Croydon programme is being delivered through a unique collaboration between the cultural organisations and people of the borough in
partnership with Croydon Council.

*Quote from ‘Empire of Seeds’, a tribute to local gardener Esiah Levy by Ruby Tandoh