Breaking Bread

Arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry.—1 Kings xxi. 7

The loaf is at the heart of our lives. It’s our connection with sustenance, community and creativity. It is the unsung hero uniting us in more ways than just providing us with a basic meal. Since time immemorial it has formed the heart of our communities.

This unique project brings together North Laine and London Road’s past, present and future bread baking traditions to create a bespoke public collective memory, a means of expressing ourselves and enabling people to connect through the physical act of Breaking Bread together.

Breaking Bread will deliver-

2 x Community Workshops for members of local organisations.
Heritage archive display of recipes and reminiscences of London Road baking provided by residents, bakers and businesses. Material to be made into virtual postcards and accessible viewing on the Strike a Light website.
London Road Open Market Bread Fayre:
With: * Sharing of a large scale communal bread * 2 x 40 minute free participatory workshops for the general public * Local Trader Contributions * Baking demonstrations

Breaking the Bread

The making of a large scale communal bread baked in a wood-fired mobile oven. To be broken and shared for free with visitors to the event. T his is an homage to the local literature cult classic The Giant Jam Sandwich, illustrated by John Vernon Lord (University of Brighton).

Heritage

Archive display of recipes and reminiscences of London Road baking to be provided by residents, bakers and businesses, with pop-up display for notes and postcards. Members of the public will be invited to add to the collection.

Samples of collated and archival material to be made into virtual postcards for free and accessible viewing on the Strike a Light website.

Local heritage providers Queenspark Books through their Brighton and Hove Photographic Collection, Screen Archive South East and MyBrightonandHove have already agreed the non-copyright use of a variety of related London Road images from archives to support this event.

Objectives

Showing the objectives this project would meet and how:

Celebrates the local history of the London Road Open Market with an event in keeping with its original use
Promotes trade for North Laine and London Road businesses and organisations
Encourage local existing residents and new residents (through Hyde Housing Association and local universities) to engage with key aspects of London Road’s past, whilst learning new skills
Collect, record and create a unique archival product which can be promoted digitally and through a variety of media. Material will be used to further promote the Breaking Bread project, in turn promoting London Road as a cultural hub
Promotes cultural, social and creative activity in the area
Offering healthy eating/lifestyle promotion and creativity, by encouraging home baking and buying products from local suppliers
Invite public from outside the area to visit the area
Enhance community cohesion

Business/organisation significance

Strike a Light is a not-for-profit community arts and heritage organisation using people’s life stories and memories to engage a wide range of groups in creative and heritage activities, and making art to transform public and private spaces. Strike a Light believes in the idea of life skills and education through creativity, and aims to generate greater social inclusion by working with marginalised and vulnerable groups alongside all sections of the community.