Peoples' Bureau (PB) is a collaborative practice running  from London and Stoke on Trent. It is a programme of artistic actions that  enable community representation delivered by artists Eva Sajovic and Rebecca  Davies. It was set up in 2014 and was based at the Elephant and Castle shopping  centre -  one of the most contested sites in the capital, currently  undergoing a vast development that has been and will continue to permanently  displace thousands of people who live and work here.

PB collects and makes  visible the diversity of cultures, skills, networks and resourcefulness present  in areas that are undergoing urban change. It supports skill and  knowledge exchange around the concerns of the communities it works with, withthe view of strengthening the links within these and towards a collective  competence in the process of constructing meaning, making decisions and taking  actions for themselves.

By engaging with amultitude of stakeholders including the local residents, the developers,  universities, the local council, art institutions, activists and the media the  PB creates a vibrant platform for contestation, negotiation and organisation. The  underlying belief is that pre-packaged information, selected by a class of  people defined as professionals in light of profitability does not lead to a  greater competence of the individuals and communities but to a dependency and  displacement. Peoples’ Bureau works with communities to support them in gaining  confidence to hold the ‘professionals’ in these processes to account and in  turn impact on the decisions that affect their livelihoods.

PB has worked with  Whitechapel Gallery, University of the Arts (Central Saint Martins, London College of Communication and  Camberwell Chelsea Wimbledon), Artsadmin, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Our Human  Library Bootle, and Artist Placement Group. In Elephant & Castle PB worked  with over 20 local groups, regularly and actively engaging with over 200 local  residents from Latin American, Bangladeshi and British communities. They are an  Associate of Tate Exchange.

Rebecca and Eva, with writer Sarah Butler  recently completed the film Unearthing Elephant,awarded Research in Film Award from AHRC.

The Future of Living was commissioned by Create London  and supported by OPDC with funding from Arts Council England and Heritage  Lottery Fund.