The Second Floor Landing (Oxenham House)

The Second Floor Landing is the photographic documentation of a creative and organic process involving guerilla decorating on the landing on the second floor of Oxenham House. The block is a 4-storey, 1930s LCC brick block located in the Greenwich part of Deptford, with front doors accessible via an open-air staircase and landings. The openness of this kind of architecture lends itself well to social interaction among neighbours, who frequently meet and greet each other in these shared spaces. The organic and often humorous installations using plants, artworks, furniture, accumulated paraphernalia and found objects discarded by others not only made the bland brickwork more attractive and our residential environment more liveable, they were also triggers for conversations with and among neighbours, other community engagement and, generally, for a greater sense of community within the block. Although installations were mostly created by myself, my husband and our next-door neighbour, things were often also added (and taken away) by others, constantly changing the appearance of the installations. Overall, the process was completely serendipitous, with people acting on individual or shared creative impulses, using whatever materials were at hand. Many neighbours have commented on how these installations made them smile and that they often took a deliberate look when they went up the stairs, particularly also with children, who often expressed wonder and asked questions. The act of decorating and the installations also triggered conversations with other people such as caretakers, postmen and delivery people and residents from neighbouring blocks, thus establishing wider contact between people who may not have communicated otherwise.

These activities took on an even greater significance during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our lives were suddenly restricted to our homes and ‘balconies’. Ongoing decoration work and encounters on the landing, albeit with the required physical distance, became a way of combating isolation, anxiety and feelings of uncertainty, and boredom; of bringing a little bit of happiness and togetherness into very challenging times. As such, the second floor landing installations helped build and sustain a sense of community within the neighbourhood.

In August 2024, me and my neighbours received a letter from Greenwich Council (as did others living on council estates, apparently), which ordered all residents to clear communal areas, landings and spaces outside front doors of any items, including plant pots, pictures, furniture, washing lines and even doormats. The letter stated that for the purpose of fire regulations, there needed to be a ‘sterile’ environment. We were given seven days to clear the spaces. Me and my neighbours are devastated by the loss of these meaningful installations. Coming home to the ‘sterile’ environment is a daily reminder that we have lost something important.

But creative people that we are, we are already experimenting with other ways of making our environment more liveable. Chalk is a good start…