Since 1996, Knowle West Media Centre has harnessed the power of technology and the arts to support people to bring about positive change.
In 2016 we celebrated the first 20 years of Knowle West Media Centre with a number of special events, exhibitions and artworks that explored the people, places, values and ideas that have shaped our way of doing things and contributed so much to KWMC and Knowle West over the last two decades.
For more than twenty years we have created spaces for debate and discussion, explored new ways of doing things, and provided opportunities for learning, employment and social action – working with people to ensure the benefits of engaging with technology and the arts can be shared as widely as possible.
What’s changed since 1996?
A lot has changed since Carolyn Hassan began a photography project at Knowle West Health Association in 1996. The social, cultural and political landscape of the UK has shifted and the community of Knowle West has experienced changes and challenges.
There have been huge advances in technology: the computers on our desks have halved in size and increased in power, and the ‘next industrial revolution’ has brought coding, robotics and digital manufacturing into the public consciousness.
We have been, and will continue to be, responsive to changing circumstances, emerging opportunities, and local needs.
But amidst these changes, community remains at the heart of everything we do. As our organisation evolves in size and scope, local residents and young people continue to work alongside staff, makers and artists to co-design products and initiatives that have positive social impact. As we mark our twentieth year in 2016, we will continue to innovate, respond and create, whilst upholding the founding aim that gives Knowle West Media Centre its purpose.
Because even after twenty years, there are some things that don’t change.
Out of the Darkroom by Pippa Robinson
KWMC's 20th Birthday Party - Images by Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
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- Image: Ibolya Feher
KWMC20 Stories
During our 20th anniversary year friends of KWMC have been sharing their thoughts, memories and experiences of working with us. Excerpts from these stories have been collated in our 2015-2016 Annual Report and longer versions of the stories can be found below.
From our earliest collaborations to young adults we’ve known since their teens, these stories offer a range of perspectives and answers to the question: ‘what does Knowle West Media Centre mean to you?’
If you’d like to share your story please contact us on enquiries@kwmc.org.uk or tweet your memory to @knowlewestmedia with the hashtag #KWMC20