PLACE LAB

The mission of Place Lab is to use the power of culture and creativity to catalyse change at a local level. Working in towns and communities across County Durham each PlaceLab aims to foster a community-centred approach to culture and regeneration. Hyper-local, place-based activities will boost cultural participation and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and connectivity within and between our communities.

Through collaboration with cultural and creative partners, communities will be empowered to actively engage in decisions shaping the future of their places. To achieve this, five PlaceLabs have been established across the County, complemented by a digital knowledge hub designed to enhance inclusion, connection, and knowledge sharing. There are PlaceLabs in Durham City, Peterlee, Shildon, Stanley and Weardale.

SELECT PLACE LAB PROJECTS

The Index Music Durham Report is here

Index Music carried out research into the current music community of County Durham, between January and March 2025, gathering insights and information from local musicians, promoters, educators and music lovers.

See The Report
Nana's House

In partnership with No More Nowt, led by artist Ruth Flowers and co-curated by Zarah Worth, Nana’s House celebrated the position of women in a town named after a man. It wasn’t a gallery, a workshop programme or even an exhibition. It was something else entirely - a public living room in Peterlee.

See Project
The Riverside Rink – a New Film About an Old Favourite

CYAN CIC has held a series of exhibitions bring together the rich, but somehow untold history of Durham Ice Rink, with the help of the community artist Lewis Hobson has brought together a brilliant film about the impact of this incredible home of ice.

Watch Film
SCRAN

Produced in partnership with No More Nowt, The Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark and East Durham Trust, SCRAN is a contemporary response from artists and communities engaging and reacting with Gordon Matta-Clark’s ‘FOOD’, exploring food, the county and art & creativity.

See Project