• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Enjoolata logo colour

enjoolata.org

Good

  • Funding
  • FAQ
  • About us
  • Our partners
  • Enjoolata Stories

Making it out’s ‘Stop Sign Memorial’

August 15, 2021 By Daisy Saul Leave a Comment

Making It Out’s tagline is ‘Creative alternatives to repeat offending’. At their Portside workshop the team design and make furniture, installations and a range of products from small scale pieces to larger public art installations. The difference between MIO and a normal workshop is that the charity only works with people who have come from or are in the prison system. The outcome is a space where participants can access job opportunities and learn and grow in confidence in a creative and supportive environment.

I visited the MIO workshop at Portside Studios in Portslade on a scorching summer’s day in May. The output of the workshop spilled out onto the pavement;  its large wide open doors lined with murals and artwork made by participants revealing a hive of activity.

I met Founders Lucy and Mark and Ess, who Mark had met through the Choir with No Name – a Brighton choir consisting of people who have experienced Homelessness.

Ess has been coordinating and developing the ‘Stop Sign Memorial’ project since the beginning of lockdown. Through the ‘Stop Sign Memorial’ project, Making It Out are co-creating a large sculptural artwork to commemorate people who have lost their lives whilst homeless in Brighton and Hove.

It is important for the team that the artwork belongs to the people it will mean the most to. So they are inviting only people who have experienced homelessness either themselves or through loved ones to participate in the design and manufacture of the artwork.

Currently in its early stages, packs are being distributed to participants who are being invited to share drawings, write and even make small clay models about their experiences of homelessness.

One participant drew a picture of a disabled toilet key referring to it as ‘the key of life’, and then went on to describe how ‘you have to drink and take drugs to get through the night, noise and cold’ and in another account someone talked about how their friend had died of a drug addiction.

Even in its early stages the project offers a valuable insight for all of us who haven’t experienced homelessness into what life can be like on the streets.  It also has the potential to give a necessary and important platform to those who often find themselves without a voice and become a physical living memory of those who have been lost.

I met Omar, who was participating in the Stop Sign Memorial and had also been visiting the workshop regularly for several months. Omar was in the process of creating an incredible wooden board game called a Carrom board, which is native to his home country of Zimbabwe.  It appeared really important to him and it felt very special that Omar had a space where he could create and manufacture objects that connected him to his roots and reminded him of a country that he had not visited for many years.

In the art room I was shown other striking pieces, beautiful self portraits and a powerful clay sculpture of a heart wrapped in barbed wire that had been started in prison and had the barbed wire added at a later date.

Making It Out directly challenges the stigma associated with prison and homelessness by simply producing great quality work and thought provoking, interesting art that really captures the collective voice of the outsider.


The Stop Sign Memorial project was funded by an Enjoolata Community Grant. To find out more about Making It out and the Stop Sign Memorial project visit – makingitout.co.uk

Filed Under: Social

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Get to know us

About us
Partners & testimonials

Marketing Resources

Download our Logo and Brand Manual

Funding

Types of Grants
FAQ

Contact us

Email: hello@enjoolata.org

Spotify Logo

© 2020–2023 | Enjoolata Foundation is a registered charity: 1111177 · All rights reserved | Privacy Policy

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsI understand
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT