Place-based strategic research consultancy for ethical placemaking and public art

Spaces and places must be equitable.

For a place to be managed considerately and justly, we must understand its use, its politics, its past and its future. We must understand its people; permanent and transient, present and possible. We must interrogate the story we tell about it, and consider whether that story is biased, dishonest or ill-researched.

Even in the very beginnings of a development project - is your storytelling and your art programme truly representative and inclusive?

We are a place-based strategic research company advising on ethical best-practice, social justice and historical context in placemaking, development and public art projects. We work independently or as a partner to ensure place projects are inclusive, thoroughly researched, and sensitive to communities.

Even if you’re simply looking for the backstory of your development, or want advice on renaming a building, we combine our disciplines to deliver socially-just context within the body of research to guide your plans for the future too.

We believe there are stories to be told about the way ordinary people come to shape the places in which they live – and one such story is the Rocking Chair Riot from which we take our name.

What we do

Historical and contextual research for new developments and rebrands

Why we do it

Putting ethics and equity into your placemaking projects

  • Research

    Historical and contextual research for new developments, retail and leisure destinations, and place branding. We can help you with storytelling and reporting for heritage and arts projects and have over 10 years experience in place-based histories.

  • Strategy

    What does good look like here? What impact will your work have on the existing communities and how will you involve them in its future? Taking into account place trends, and the hyper-local socio-political landscape, we’ll make sure your project is ethical and equitable.

  • Dialogue

    Are you aware of the grassroots stakeholders in your project? Have you talked to people outside of the consultation process - those whose faces you never see? As part of our research, we can layout who this place matters to, making sure you include them in the conversation. We also specialise in walking interviews as an engagement tool.

  • Advocacy

    Throughout our work, we advocate for people, past and present. How does your public art impact the Global Majority? Does your public realm work for those in poverty? Is this space welcoming, safe, appealing, and usable to the people outside of your customer bubble?

Contact hello@rockingchair-riot.com to discuss how your project might benefit from our input and viewpoint.

Who we are

Activists. Researchers. Public life champions. Critical thinkers. Place management and leadership alumni. Historians. Place writers. Women. Working class. Neurodiverse.

Hayley not only seeks to reveal new things about the city to its inhabitants as well as its visitors but to empower people with a sense that a city is a place created by those who live and work within it and that they too can and should contribute to the never-ending project that is improving the city.

— BBC Radio 4, Front Row