Reclaiming the Coventry Canal

Reclaiming the Coventry Canal Festival aimed to unite Coventry’s vulnerable communities to symbolically reclaim the canal - a unique element of the city’s industrial and environmental heritage.

The project involved outdoor activities co-ordinated by local artists and organisations to illuminate the canal’s historical, environmental and cultural heritage.

Special attention was given to traditionally under-represented communities and the values they attach to waterways. After the festival, attendees moved to the waterway to symbolically take to the canal, while local artists performed from the top of a barge along the canal.

This was a collaborative project that involved Coventry Peace House, Sergio Ruiz Cayeula (Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University) and Alastair Smith (Global Sustainable Development, University of Warwick).