Collective Light

Collective Light began as a simple idea between three local practitioners who share a passion for community engagement, placemaking and creative participation. Together with over 15 collaborators — including local artists, yoga teachers, tea practitioners, environmental groups, immigrant community organisations, local charities, volunteers and Ealing Council — we asked one question:

How might we make Dean Gardens feel safer, more welcoming and more inclusive for everyone?

Using an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach, we wanted to create opportunities for residents to recognise the strengths already within their community and imagine the future of the park together.

What we delivered

Over six months, we designed and built an interactive lighting bench powered by community-generated electricity, alongside a free public event featuring creative workshops, yoga, tea tasting, printmaking, mindful drawing, community listening activities and conversations about public space.

More than 180 people joined us throughout the 18 July. Some facilitated activities, some helped tidy the park, some shared their experiences of local green spaces, while many simply came with curiosity and openness. Every contribution mattered.

The lighting bench became more than an installation—it became a gathering point where strangers met, conversations started and people quite literally worked together to light up the park.

What difference did the project make?

What stays with us most isn’t the attendance numbers. It’s seeing so many people choosing to spend their Saturday with neighbours, sharing stories, trying something new and helping make the park feel a little more welcoming and connected.

The response reminded us that people care deeply about their local spaces—not simply as places to pass through, but as places to meet, learn, create, rest and belong.

Feedback showed a strong appetite for more community-led activities, and many participants told us they had met new people or discovered a different side of Dean Gardens for the first time. The project also created new relationships between residents, grassroots organisations and local institutions that we hope will continue beyond this event.

What did we learn?

One of our biggest lessons was that meaningful public engagement doesn’t start with having all the answers. It starts with creating the conditions for people to come together, share experiences and imagine possibilities collectively.

Creative activities proved to be powerful conversation starters. We also learned that every resident sees different community assets through their own lived experience, and by bringing those perspectives together, we build a stronger sense of belonging.

What next?

We hope this is only the beginning. We are exploring opportunities to bring the interactive lighting bench to future community events, participatory research projects and local festivals, while continuing to seek funding to expand creative engagement across Ealing.

Architect & Product Designer: @adrianmty @nerissayeung
Programme Curator & Community Engagement: @elizabeth_wan424
Visual Design & Marketing: @elizabeth_wan424
Exhibition Panel Design: @yeeyan.soph
Event Collaborators: @lifeiskenobi @carmenyiu_ @linearydot @shuna_yoga @londonteafriends @stephaniecck @kim.lwy @goodgym_ealing @asachoiii @helenchan.