Have you ever wondered how our environment gets to be the way it is?

Barrow Borough Council and Barrow Regeneration are working with Barrow-based Art Gene, an international art and design company, to demystify the regeneration processes that culminate in changes to the physical environment which affect all our lives.

Most people are in favour of good design for their borough but there is often little time to consider what good design means or to open ourselves up to a wider range of ideas and opinions. 

Through Barrow by Design Café Art Gene will host monthly meetings led by a wide range of experts in their fields; architecture, environmental sustainability, art, urban design, planning, eco-building etc., interspersed with ‘Go See’ design trips. Some of the trips will be local and on foot, bicycle and public transport others will be UK-wide and by coach. It will also provide opportunities to be consulted about Barrow’s regeneration plans.

Barrow by Design Café is open to anyone over the age of 18 and no previous design knowledge is required. What Art Gene are asking is that prospective members come to the launch of the Design Café at 6pm on Wednesday 8th September, at Art Gene, Abbey Road, Barrow where they can find out more about how local people can influence the way the borough of Barrow will look and feel in 20 years time; as Art Gene says ‘do we want a home town or will we settle for a clone town’

The Barrow by Design Café Launch will feature a supporting and illustrative exhibition entitled ‘Your Future Needs You’ which Art Gene hopes will help you to take a fresh look at Barrow, its wonderful and sometimes hidden environmental assets as well as provoking some new thoughts about its future development.

The ‘Your Future Needs You’ exhibition opens 6pm Wednesday 8th September – Friday 17th December opening times:  12 noon -5.00pm daily closed weekends. The exhibition is a rolling programme of exhibits, which will change and evolve as the work of Art Gene develops.  From Jan 17th 2011 onwards the exhibition may have more opening times and it will be best to check our website for opening. www.artgene.co.uk

The following artists, architects and designers are contributing to the ‘Your Future Needs You’ exhibition.

Contributors
• Stuart Bastik
• Eimer Birkbeck
• Lottie Child
• Joe Duffy
• David Ellison
• Martin Gent
• Marianne Heaslip
• Daniel Mallo
• Sophie Mellor
• Maddi Nicholson
• Laura Oldfield Ford
• Joanne Ray
• Armelle Tardiveau
• Claire Thornton
• Patricia Townsend