Village People was a temporary public art commission by artist Robert Dowse, delivered as part of a cultural strategy developed by Futurecity for Sovereign Network Group at Stockwell Park Estate in Lambeth.

Installed in 2008, the project formed the first visible artwork to emerge from the wider regeneration programme. Conceived as a community-led intervention, Village People transformed construction hoardings into a celebratory portrait of local life at a moment of significant change for the estate.

Working closely with residents, Dowse created a series of illustrated portraits capturing the individuality, character and diversity of people living in the neighbourhood. The drawings were enlarged and printed as part of the hoarding design surrounding the New Dudley development site, running along Robsart Street and Thornton Street and facing both the public realm and residents’ shared spaces.

The project placed residents at the centre of the regeneration narrative, reinforcing a sense of recognition, ownership and pride. By seeing themselves and their neighbours represented at scale, residents were invited to feel part of the transformation taking place around them, rather than displaced by it.

Completed in October 2008, Village People was warmly received by residents, Network Housing Group and Community Housing Trust. The project marked the launch of the wider cultural strategy for the estate, helping to establish a positive tone for the regeneration and demonstrating the role of culture in building trust, visibility and connection at the earliest stages of change.