Community art project helps bring Sheffield Hallam University research to life

20th April 2023

Four pieces of art have been unveiled at Sheffield Hallam University’s National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering as part of a community-based project to bring their research to life.

The National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering (NCEFE) is a research centre based in the Attercliffe area of Sheffield. The Centre has a mission to drive sustainability and growth in the global food system through research and innovation, working alongside partners in the food and drink sector.

NCEFE has four research themes – healthier lives, digital connectivity and technology, food system sustainability and feeding a growing population.

To bring those themes to life and make them more visible, the NCEFE team has worked with local community organisations to commission four pieces of art which each represent one of the research themes.

More than 35 community members from Tinsley Youth Club, St Alban’s Church and Darnall Well Being contributed ideas to the project during four workshops, which have been used to inspire the pieces created by three artists from Ignite Imaginations. 

The art was unveiled at an event at NCEFE this week with community members seeing the finished work for the first time. The group were also given a tour of the Centre’s facilities to see some of the research projects in action.

Sofia Gkika, Community Development Worker at Darnall Well Being, said: “Our organisation welcomed the opportunity to be involved with this project. Everyone who came to the session with us lives locally, and they really enjoyed getting creative with the theme of food system sustainability.

“We were excited to see the finished artwork, and our community members feel proud that they have helped to create this lasting piece of art in one of the newest buildings in our community.” 

Luisa Golob, Chief Executive, Ignite Imaginations, said: "It has been such a wonderful experience working with NCEFE on this project, connecting academic research and creativity. It has been an incredible opportunity for our artists to explore new topics with participants and create long lasting artwork for the centre and we are excited to explore further creative connections with Sheffield Hallam University." 

Bryony Portsmouth, Engagement Manager at NCEFE, said: “This project has been an honour to co-ordinate and the local community’s engagement with this endeavour has affirmed the sense of place we all have in Attercliffe and beyond.”