Visitors get to experience an immersive tour that celebrates the transformative work that has been undertaken to make the North East Office Building accessible again after two decades. Using interactive soundscapes, visuals and text, the tour blends the buildings architectural heritage and forward-thinking, as people will walk through the site as it is today while imagining its future potential. Delving into the community’s vision for the space and inviting participants to experience the imagined future in a hands-on, personal way.
This event is the result of a collaborative project developed by Alexandra Palace’s curatorial team, which brought together volunteers, members of the Young Creative Network, and the Actors Company. The team used their diverse knowledge of the Palace’s rich history, from park and theatre enthusiasts to those with a passion for the BBC’s technological innovations, architecture, and beyond to imagine an architect's dream.
The tour is inspired by what they personally need from a living and working space, while also imagining how future communities might use this space. They considered a variety of possibilities, from a home for our volunteers and community group partners to multipurpose classrooms and office spaces for emerging practitioners. The vision also included quiet spaces for contemplation and exploration of the archive, but above all, a space for community curators to mount exhibitions in the East Court and surrounding parklands.
Throughout the process, participants engaged with Alexandra Palace’s archives, local exhibitions, evaluative films, and recent community radio broadcasts. They delved into the history of the North East Office Building, examining pivotal moments from Alexandra Palace’s past and blending them into a dreamscape that combines the building's history, its present, and its future. The result is a fusion of film, live performance, installation, image, and sound—offering a unique and immersive experience of living history.
Due to access issues the tours are not wheelchair, pushchair, or pram accessible. Tours are not accessible for those with walking difficulties due to several flights of stairs on the tour route.
Meeting point is in the East Court opposite the Visitor Services desk.
