Carpet the Kelvin Way is a case study in collaboratively re-imagining public space through DIY interventions.

This project is a collaboration between Joseph Cole (PD) and James Arkwright (SEA).

Centring around the newly pedestrianised road Kelvin Way, the aim of our self-initiated project was to negotiate the middle ground between authority and the general public mainly through investigating, and challenging, notions of ownership and alienation.

Manifesting as an event (held on the 5th of May 2024), 300m² of recycled carpet was laid on the road to celebrate local history and challenge perceptions of what public space could be. The event was sponsored by Spruce carpets, a recycling social enterprise based in Govan who supplied 70% of the carpet.

“We chose carpet for the striking visual, every culture has a relationship with carpet yet seeing it on the road was a very simple way of reclaiming the space as truly pedestrianised”

Finally, whilst this follows works done in situ, the model of this project could be applied to any road on earth. The Carpet the Kelvin Way framework offers a collaborative blueprint for placed-based pedestrianisation developments.