Bata-ville: We Are Not Afraid of the Future

Artists: Nina Pope & Karen Guthrie
Location: East Tilbury, Essex and Maryport, Cumbria

Tomas Bata's vision to "work collectively, live individually" inspired pre-war architects to design Modernist utopian settlements to serve the needs of his shoe factory workers. Bata's home-town of Zlín in the Czech Republic became a prototype that was replicated across the globe as his shoe empire expanded. One of these factory settlements was the village of East Tilbury in Thurrock, which was developed by Bata in 1932.

Recognising this remarkable history, Commissions East approached Nina Pope and Karen Guthire to develop a project for the site and community of East Tilbury. Drawing upon Bata's idealism as well as East Tilbury's more recent industrial decline, the project began with the creation of a travel agency that recalled Bata's heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. As visitors browsed the Bata memorabilia they were invited to apply to go on a holiday to the Czech Republic. With responses from former employees, local residents, and art, architecture and social/industrial history enthusiasts, over 40 people were selected to go on the trip.

Directed by Pope and Guthrie, a film of this journey provides an unusual, entertaining and poignant exploration into the origins of East Tilbury as well as its impending regeneration.

Supported by an education programme in local schools and a website, the film was screened at local previews and selected for Tate Late, the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the South by South West Film Festival.

'Bata-ville: We Are Not Afraid of the Future' was a Somewhere project by Nina Pope and Karen Guthrie, developed by Commissions East and co-produced by Illumina Digital Ltd. It was supported by funding from Allerdale Borough Council, Arts Council England East, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the European Cultural Foundation, Screen East (through RIFE Lottery) and Thurrock Council, with an in-kind contribution from the Czech Centre (London).