Colchester Inn is a project about hosting and welcoming in Colchester.
Initiated by public works and commissioned by firstsite.

Over a three year period public works is working with a variety of community and interest groups from Colchester and the surrounding areas, to find out how they host and welcome others. Collaboratively proposing and creating a new communal meeting room for Colchester - the Colchester Inn.

Each of the participating groups is developing a new object that reflects their specific customs and ways of hosting. This new object can be anything from a welcoming chair, a new dish, an inviting scent or tune or a special fabric. The contributions from all groups will feed into the making of the "Colchester Inn" meeting space at firstsite.

So far four different groups have developed their elements for the Inn:

Colchester Chinese Culture Society worked on the concept and design for the KNOT CURTAIN, which combines the well-wishing meaning of Chinese knots with the Chinese custom of showing family photos to guests.

The 3D Group - students from Three Dimensional Design and Craft course at Colchester Institute - have invented the KNICK KNACK CLOUD, a growing collection of knick knack contributed by people from Colchester.

The Indiviuals Group has expanded the idea of a PUBLIC TEA PARTY to include a working clay oven, a collection of tea cups and china sourced from charity shops around Colchester, a new recipe book, and the cake-of-the-day concept.

The Time Bank group is inviting guests of the Colchester Inn to enter a different TIME ZONE, one that is not based on minutes and hours but different intervals and concepts of time to get lost in.

The website shows the finished elements, the groups involved and the different production processes behind Colchester Inn.