A programme of art, culture and new infrastructure to reimagine the future of the UK’s biggest council housing estate
London-based artist and writer Aislinn Evans hosted Jam the House in summer 2021, a collaborative project with young people across social care services in Barking and Dagenham, with Mayesbrook Children’s Centre. Through a series of regular sessions the group explored play, collaborative strategies and non-linear storytelling through DIY video game design, culminating in a game jam, in which the young people worked together to design their own games.
Together, the group experimented with open-source games engines, Twine and Bitsy, developing new foundational skills in coding. The project explored the potential of open-source platforms as accessible spaces to meet, interact, play, work and travel. By generating bespoke digital worlds, Jam the House aimed to create safe and democratic space for young people to come together.
The White House
884 Green Lane
Dagenham
RM8 1BX
Aislinn Evans is an artist and writer from East London. Their practice involves film-making, comics, and experimental lo-fi game design. Their first goal is to make art that anyone can get their hands on, drawing on media with popular and grassroots histories. Common themes include explorations of place, class struggle, and queering folklore. Aislinn is also a youth worker, using games and writing as a medium for social interaction and development.
Commissioned by The White House as part of New Town Culture, a programme of artistic and cultural activity taking place in adult and children’s social care and curated by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Funded by the GLA’s Young Londoners Fund, the MOPAC Violence Reduction Unit, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.