PLAY SOUTHEND now or never!

June 30, 2016 by Joanna Harrison

New free mobile App will encourage residents & visitors to explore Southend afresh!

A playful new App, Play Southend Now or Never! that encourages people to see and experience parts of Southend-on-Sea in a new light has been developed by two artists, Helen Stratford and Idit Nathan in partnership with Southend-based arts organisation, Metal and funded by Arts Council England.

Play Southend Now Or Never! takes people on an interactive ‘live art’ journey around the town, engaging with its spaces and places, and offering ways for people to experience where they live in fresh, imaginative and mischievous ways. Unlike other Apps, it is not a town trail asking users to follow a set path leading from marker to marker. It is open-ended and can be started anywhere in the town and alerts users by a whistle when they’ve reached a place to play.

The App uses innovative geo mapping technologies on everyday mobile devices, to prompt users, both visually and with audio, to undertake actions or tasks as they walk around town. These prompts will encourage them to look about them, to listen the sounds of the town, to think about the space they are in, and interact with other people: the result is that they will see a familiar landscape in a whole new light. By using sound and visual prompts, the app is accessible to to all ages and abilities.

The App has been created by artists Helen Stratford and Idit Nathan who are interested in the way we interact with public spaces in our towns and cities. More than 100 residents and community group members from across Southend helped develop the App, taking part in a series of artist-led ‘walkshops’ around town. Using a mixture of props, prompts and games, they played in Southend’s public spaces sharing their memories and stories about their town. The information and ideas gathered inspired the development of the App as a truly local resource.

Helen said ‘Local knowledge and ideas are central to the App and by involving local residents we hope we have created something that’s really relevant to Southend. We're really excited to have created an App that is free, fun and playful.’

Idit added ‘All over the country, cities, towns and landscapes are being redeveloped, becoming increasingly regulated and taken away from common use. We strongly believe one of the best ways to reclaim them, before it’s too late, is to walk around and play in them together.’

The Play Southend Now or Never! App will be launched at Village Green, Metal’s arts and music festival in Chalkwell Park on July 9th and will then be available for everyone to download via links at www.playthecitynowornever.com. It will also be part of a special weekend event for Estuary Festival on 24/25 September.