What happens when we return to our place of origin only to find little sense of belonging, mutual recognition or an affirming sense of home? How do we reorient afresh in a painfully familiar place? Where can we find new sources of care and connection? How do we remain hopeful when it all feels like starting from scratch?

On returning to Westcliff after 10 years away spent in Leeds, London, Chicago and New Zealand, local resident Charlie Hurst invites you to explore some of these questions through this leisurely walk-come-lecture-come-shallow-paddle-through-a-brook, through both local and personal history. The walk is a part of Southend-on-Imagination project.

The walk will begin near Charlie’s gran’s old house on the outskirts of the 1,000 year old woodland of Belfairs Park and end at their grandad’s commemorative bench hidden in the heart of the bush. Through the course of the walk, Hurst will touch on concepts of othermothering, staying with the trouble and the ties that bind (Patricia Hill Collin, Donna J Haraway, Sarah Schluman).

As we hope some of the walk will include paddling in the brook, please wear waterproof shoes or welly boots. After the walk, we might go for a hot drink at Belfairs Nature Discovery Centre.

Please bring some tools/materials (like a phone, camera, sound-recording device etc) to capture your reflections on the walk and any prompts shared by Charlie. Creativity is highly encouraged. Pen and papers will be provided on the walk.

The walk will be fully outside, so please check the weather on the day, wear a comfortable pair of shoes, and bring a bottle of water with you. After the walk, we might go for a hot drink, and you are welcome to join.

Anyone under 18 needs to be accompanied by an adult.

Southend-On-Imagination

When the infrastructure for care and connection is eroded, how does it affect our memory of a place and sense of belonging? And what happens when we come together to see places we might have never been to or might have passed by hundreds of times from a different lens and imagine their futures by sharing diverse experiences present in Southend?

Southend-on-Imagination is an artist project by Gulsen, commissioned as part of The Unlonely City that brings people in dialogue to explore how our surroundings – beyond brick and mortar – can host and impact our emotions and sense of belonging and collectively imagine how we want Southend to look and feel like in 2050.

Accessibility Notes 

The distance will be approximately 1.6 miles with no steep gradients. The route may include some uneven surfaces. Please advise us in advance of any additional accessibility needs. If you have any additional questions, email southendonimagination@gmail.com

Participation Guidelines 

These walks aim to create a safe and respectful space for all involved. By attending the walk, you are agreeing to be kind and welcoming to others; approach the walk with curiosity and creativity; be respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences; be mindful of language that may exclude or alienate. Please do not disparage others.

Harassment and sexist, ableist and racist, transphobic or other prejudicial comments or behaviours will not be tolerated. We may ask you to leave the walk if you fail to adhere to this code of conduct.

Please keep noise levels low when we are in the residential area and be mindful of not obstructing entrants to the hospital, buildings etc. Please ask before taking photos of other people on the walk and respect people’s privacy.

For any questions please email southendonimagination@gmail.com

About Gulsen 

Gulsen is a multi-disciplinary researcher and artist exploring collective imagination as a way to challenge, question and interrogate how modern technologies, systems, and infrastructures prioritise nebulous concepts of efficiency, growth, and innovation instead of, and often in opposition, to the real world effects these pursuits have on people. With her practice, Gulsen looks at what kinds of spaces, activities, rituals, responses, and conversations might allow us to embrace uncertainty and to come together to imagine different possible futures.

About Artist Ideas to Disrupt Loneliness 

In Autumn 2025, artists submitted their creative project ideas as part of The Unlonely City. Since then, and even before then, we’ve been thinking about how we can create unlonely cities through creativity, curiosity and just the right amount of chaos. You can find out more about what’s happening in Southend here.

The Unlonely City is an arts programme disrupting loneliness, nurturing moments of solidarity, surprise and laughter. Through a series of artistic commissions, citizens assemblies, parties and public conversations. The Unlonely City takes place across Liverpool, Peterborough, and Southend, where Metal is based, to imagine what an ‘unlonely’ city could be.

The Unlonely City programme is funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation as part of the Arts Award.