The Wicker

The Wicker in Sheffield has been an integral part of the city for more than one and half centuries and has seen many changes. The Wicker Arches, one if Sheffield’s prominent landmarks, and the site to the now closed Victorian Victoria Station, marks the end of the city and the beginning of the Don Valley industrial area. Up until a few decades ago it was a thriving part of the city centre, then it became inhospitable by being choked with cars travelling to the Valley. In the 21st century The Wicker is being Regenerated! The regeneration seeks to address the issue of the traffic and make the Wicker a thriving part of the city again: by completing another section of the ring road to take the traffic around the Wicker, narrowing the road, widening the pavement and building new office and accommodation blocks, with the over all aim of bringing the people back down.

SADACCA has been on the wicker for over 20 years and has seen many of the changes to the area. SADACCA is one of the oldest and strongest Afro-Caribbean community centres in the country and has done much work to empower back people.

At the beginning of 2008 the Regeneration Gallery set up a community art project at SADACCA titled The SADACCA On-Line Archive. The project gave members of the community the chance to photograph the things that were apart of and effected their lives. Their photos were uploaded to the Internet, creating a multi-voiced view of SADDACA, the building and the regeneration on the Wicker. In July 2008 19 photographs were selected and printed and showed what was happening with the regeneration. The photos were then exhibited at The Access Space in Sheffield.