Tending to the Centres is a collaboration between three local libraries: Ham, East Sheen and Whitton. The project celebrates the important role these libraries play in nurturing strong communities. It also looks ahead to imagine what their future could be.

This exhibition at Orleans House Gallery shows a series of creative displays in the Study Gallery. These reflect the process and inner workings of Tending to the Centres. It archives intimate moments from the project; conversations, construction sketches, material forages and long delivery journeys. The exhibition brings together all the events, activities and collaborations that have happened in the libraries so far. Together, they tell the story of the project’s journey.

Collaborative Library Workshops

In Spring 2025, RESOLVE ran Library Logs workshops. These invited local library-goers to imagine themselves as libraries. Participants were asked ‘what experiences, memories, and passions would you borrow and lend from one another?’

Building on these workshops, RESOLVE created a series of ‘briefs’ with the participants. Each brief contained prompts and ideas for a collaboratively produced structure. These structures would temporarily inhabit the libraries and respond to their unique contexts. The themes explored including ‘archiving’, ‘play’ and the library as a ‘stage’.

During a series of collaborative workshops RESOLVE and the participants built the structures using entirely recycled materials from the libraries. In East Sheen, the structure was a pop-up stage. It was hand-made by local young people, with characters drawn by community members. In Whitton, they created a mini-ball pit from old artboards and office chairs. In Ham, they reimagined a historic archive shelf. It was drilled, screwed and spray-painted by young library-goers.

Library Lates

A series of Library Late events brought the co-created structures to life. On Thursday 11th September 2025, curator and cultural producer Avni Patel brought the mini-ball pit in Whitton library to life. Her event explored the role of ‘play’ in her practice. Activities inside and outside the library, invited participants to engage with playful creativity in unexpected ways.

On Thursday 2 October 2025, creative producer and educator Dhiyandra Natalegawa activated the pop-up stage in East Sheen. Her evening event shared her embodied mapping practice. Participants explored where and when they feel most creative and inspired.

The final event took place on Wednesday 8 October 2025. Artist and facilitator Francesca Telling led the activation of the archive shelf. Her event explored institutional memory and the idea of archives of erasure.

Tending to the Centres was commissioned as part of the Richmond Arts and Ideas Festival and funded by Arts Council England.

About RESOLVE collective

RESOLVE is an interdisciplinary design collective that combines architecture, engineering, technology and art to address social challenges. They have delivered numerous projects, workshops, publications, and talks in the UK and across the world. All of which look toward realising just and equitable visions of change in our built environment.

Much of RESOLVE’s work aims to provide platforms for the production of new knowledge and ideas. An integral part of this way of working means designing with and for young people and under-represented groups in society.