We produced the development and delivery of Nana’s House.

This was an artist-led project by Ruth Flowers exploring care, memory and intergenerational exchange as part of the Place Lab Peterlee programme delivered by No More Nowt on behalf of the Into the Light programme.

The project transformed a public-facing space into something softer, slower and more familiar. Rather than positioning itself as a traditional arts project, Nana’s House created an environment where people could spend time, talk, make and simply be, without pressure or expectation. It built trust with people who don’t usually see themselves reflected in cultural spaces, creating the conditions for stories to be shared in ways that felt natural and unforced.

The work centred lived experience, particularly working-class life, and asked what it means to create spaces that hold people rather than programme them. The project unfolded through conversation, shared activity and repetition, with people returning over time and bringing others with them.

We worked with the artist and partners to shape how the project sat within Place Lab Peterlee, supporting its development while ensuring the integrity of the work remained intact. This included helping to articulate its value within a wider programme context, where softer, care-led approaches are often harder to define but no less important. Nana’s House demonstrated how small-scale, relational work can create meaningful cultural engagement, particularly when it is given the time and trust to develop on its own terms.