The Newspaper House

With the growth of the free newspaper industry in London, there are more newspapers discarded daily than ever before.

An innovative cultural arts project based in Hackney has been developed utilising thousands of unwanted newspapers.

Hackney arts organisation Creative City had the idea of collecting discarded papers and turning them into an interactive public art installation - the Newspaper House.

Sculptor and artist Sumer Erek is building a 5 metre high wood and metal shell of a house to be installed on Gillett Square in Dalston, Hackney.

The public will be asked to play their part in the project by taking old newspapers found on their travels and from their homes to the Square from March 3 to 9 to add to the structure.

Sumer, working with Creative City, may need over 120,000 papers to complete the project.

People will also be invited to submit their own news, observations, secrets or questions into the newspapers before rolling them up, and adding them to the house.

Workshops and drop-in sessions about the project will be taking place in collaboration with Hackney-based cultural organisations and schools.

Hackney Council's Culture Team has played a key role in getting the Newspaper House off the ground, including part-funding the project.

Councillor Nargis Khan, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: "Hackney is the home of a dynamic and prolific visual arts sector and we are proud to support its continued development.

“Hackney's Culture Team is delighted to be a partner in the Newspaper House.

“This innovative project will be the first temporary art installation in the public realm in Gillett Square.

“Its strong environmental message will engage Hackney's communities in the 'reduce-reuse-recycle' debate."

The House will be officially launched at Gillett Square on Saturday 8 March at 2pm.