UK Centre for Carnival Arts, Luton

Project Description

The UK Centre for Carnival Arts in Luton is the UK’s first centre purpose-built for the carnival arts, providing space for training, teaching, street theatre, and Luton’s annual carnival in May, which attracts around 150,000 people every year, and involves 2,000 participants. Luton’s carnival began in 1976 and is now the UK’s biggest one-day carnival.

Aims and Objectives

The Luton Carnival Arts Development Trust (LCADT) believes that participation in and enjoyment of the carnival arts can significantly enhance racial harmony, improve the quality of life, build a confident local cultural identity, improve educational attainment and tackle social exclusion. It aims to achieve this mission by building the Centre for Carnival Arts providing focus for Carnival arts development, including addressing gaps in the funding provision for black and diverse organisations in the East of England. The Centre was built to provide facilities for an area of the arts not previously catered for in the UK. It was also created to support agendas such as neighbourhood renewal, tourism development, education in the arts, community cohesion and business development.

Project Start Date and End Date

The building was commissioned to be built in 2006, and the completed centre was officially launched in this year’s May carnival, 2009. The crèche was completed and opened the same time as the rest of the building in May.

Services Offered

The building has been designed to provide flexible workspace to cater for a wide range of activities. Two buildings sit either side of a courtyard, creating both indoor and outdoor work and leisure space, which is to be used as part of the carnival route. The buildings consist of:

a mas camp space, which can be used as one large performance space or adapted to become several smaller spaces;
teaching areas;
changing facilities;
a café;
children’s nursery, and
a Business Development Unit supporting and nurturing the fledgling community, and extending this into a street market for around 14 businesses.

The centre runs a number of services including business training and advice for companies in the Business Development Unit, and carnival arts education and training courses, where students can gain qualifications. This education work includes free workshops and activities in the Summer Carnival Academy or a Foundation Degree in Carnival Arts, and is delivered and funded by UK Centre for Carnival Arts (originally Luton Carnival Arts Development Trust) in partnership with the University of Bedfordshire, the European Structural Development Funds, the Arts Council East of England and from the SRB Programme 6.

Success Factors

The Centre provides a flexible space, adaptable for different uses, satisfying an important aspect of Arts Council funding requirements – the building’s use of materials, colours and textures reflects the art of carnival itself.
The Centre is situated at a pivot point on Luton’s ring road, and the surrounding area is changing to make it more accessible. Pedestrian routes are being developed and integrated with a new rail and bus network, opening up the site to more passers-by and improving access.
The design of the building embraces its functionality the current brick façade incorporating samba rhythms in its patterns of black and white bricks.
It has already been widely published, including a cover article in Building magazine. It is currently in for a Civic Trust Award and a Brick Award, and will be entered for a RIBA Award in 2010.

Business/Operational Model

Ash Sakula Architects were chosen to design and deliver the Carnival Centre in 2006. LCADT, now the UKCCA, established in 1998, manages the centre and business community, and delivers training opportunities in partnership with the University of Bedfordshire and Learning Skills Council. Luton Cultural Services Trust currently leads in running the Luton Carnival, and aims to support the UKCCA to take over the lead by 2012.

Financing and Delivery/Procurement

The project received a total of £7million funding including £3million from the Arts Council for England, £800,000 from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), and £2.1million from ERDF European funding. Additional funding sources include the Single Regeneration Budget Programme 6 and the Wren foundation.

Measurement and Monitoring

The UK Centre for Carnival Arts has also set up its own ambassadors and stakeholders group that is a consultative, monitoring and supportive group, helping to push the project and plans through the funding process and other procedures. UKCCA has output targets set through the ERDF programme, SRB 6 programme and through annual agreements set with the Arts Council annually.

Publications

‘Welcome to the House of Fun’ Building Magazine cover article, 24 July 2009

‘Working Wonderland’, Architecture Today, July/August 2009

‘Party Tricks’, Building Magazine, Dan Stewart, 24th July 2009

Luton Cultural Services Trust: Our Vision, Values and Priorities 2009-2012, LCST, 2009.

Available at here.

Luton Borough Council website – Art Development Unit

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