Tooting Field Days
Tooting Field Days were local safaris based in and around Tooting; a chance to get outside and play, walk, chat or make something. We can’t promise lions and zebras but you might discover something you’ve never seen before, think something new or have a mini adventure of some sort.
Tooting Field Days ran April - September 2015, one Sunday afternoon a month. Each Field Day was free and suitable for people of all ages. For each Field Day, we were joined by artist-playwright-maker Shireen Mula, who created a new artwork in response to the day.
Sunday 19 April 2015 | Natural Neighbours
2pm: Meet at Tooting Library (75 Mitcham Road, SW17 9PD) to make a pine cone bird feeder that you can hang in your garden or balcony to encourage more feathered friends to visit you. Materials provided.
3pm: Depart Tooting Library to do Tootingwalks 1, a specially-made audio walk packed full of music and the voices of local people, talking about Tooting past and present and Tooting’s love of food. MP3 Players and maps provided.
3.45 - 5.30pm: Treasure Trails, Scavenger Hunts and honey tasting in Streatham Cemetery (enter through the gate on Broadwater Road).
If you’d like a copy of the book that artist-in-residence Shireen Mula created in response, email us and we’ll put it in the post for you.
Sunday 17 May 2015 | Water
1.30pm: Meet at Mushkil Aasaan (222 Upper Tooting Road, SW17 7EW) to decorate your own reusable water bottle. Materials provided.
2.30pm: Depart Mushkil Aasaan to do Tootingwalks 2, a specially-made audio walk featuring music and local voices, reflecting on the changes that are happening and delving into the role that the Lido plays in the lives of locals. MP3 Players and maps provided.
3.30pm: Optional swim/ paddle in Tooting Bec Lido.
4 - 5pm: Games and samosas on Tooting Bec Common (near the Lido).
You can listen to the song that Shireen created in response here.
Sunday 14 June 2015 | Food
1.30pm: Meet at Streatham Park Bowling Club (Pringle Gardens, SW16 1SH) to prepare food to cook later on an open fire.
2.30pm: Stroll to Tooting Community Garden (North Drive, SW16 1RN).
2.45 - 5pm: Outdoor cooking at Tooting Community Garden, games, and a special performance of fanSHEN's interactive family theatre show The Apple Cart.
Sunday 12 July 2015 | Travel
2pm: Meet at Tooting Library (75 Mitcham Road, SW17 9PD) to help make the giant ‘Bird with Borrowed Feathers’ puppet that will accompany us on our epic urban adventure later in the afternoon. Materials provided.
3pm: Depart Tooting Library for the first ever Green Spaces walk from Tooting to Clapham Junction - cross southwest London, walking only on grass. Activities, games and a picnic will happen on the way.
You can watch Woof and Roof’s Biscuit (Shireen’s response) here.
Sunday 2 August 2015 | Shelter
1.30pm: Meet at Sprout Community Arts (74 Moyser Road, SW16 6SQ) to build a 4 star bug hotel for all the creepy-crawlies hanging out in your garden or on your balcony. Materials provided.
2.45pm: Walk down from Sprout Community Arts to Tooting Graveney Common.
3 - 5pm: Learn how to build a survival shelter from branches, leaves and other natural materials on Tooting Graveney Common. The team who builds the best shelter wins a prize!
You can see Shireen’s response here, No.12 The Bug Hotel.
Sunday 13 September 2015, as part of Tooting Foodival
12pm: Meet at Tooting Market (21 - 23 Tooting High Street, SW17 0SN) to make and decorate percussion instruments, create colourful costumes and put the finishing touches to a giant carnival vegetable. Materials provided.
1pm: Set off from Tooting market to parade up and down Tooting High Street with the giant vegetable, accompanied by your instruments. On the way we will meet local shop and business owners.
2pm: Arrive at Tooting Foodival (Samaj Hall, 26b Tooting High Street) for the Tooting Foodival. Taste locally grown and cooked food, check out the stalls and listen to live music.
You can see Shireen and Clare Dunn’s comic strip, Shelling, here.
DEVELOPED BY Dan Barnard & Rachel Briscoe | ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Shireen Mula | FACILITATORS AND CONTRIBUTORS Richard Couldrey, Hilary Jennings, Lucy Neal, Jeni Walker, Charles Whitehead
Tooting Field Days was supported by the Big Lottery Fund through Awards for All, Wandsworth Arts and the National Lottery through Arts Council England.