At the intersection of creativity, culture, and community wellbeing stands Elsie Ayotunde Cullen – a visionary whose work is redefining the landscape of cultural curation in London and beyond. Elsie is a 29 year old of Mixed Nigerian and British descent. As the founder of ourppls, a community-based creative agency, and previously the Community Manager of GUAP Magazine, Cullen has become a catalyst for change, fostering spaces where diversity thrives and creativity flourishes. Her journey is not just a personal narrative but a testament to the power of cultural roots in shaping innovative approaches to community building.
Cullen's initiatives read like a roadmap for cultural empowerment. Take, for instance, "Black at Glasto" – an ingenious response to the often-overlooked experience of Black and mixed-race attendees at Glastonbury Festival. By creating a dedicated community within the vast expanse of one of the world's largest music festivals, Cullen transformed potential isolation into a celebration of shared culture. This project exemplifies her knack for identifying cultural gaps and filling them with vibrant, community-driven solutions. It's this same instinct that led to her collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum, where she guided over 60 volunteers in curating their own Friday Late event. The result? A buzzing tapestry of ideas, from clothes swaps to reflection stations, each thread woven by community members eager to see themselves represented in one of London's most prestigious cultural institutions.
The magic of Cullen's work lies in its holistic embrace of identity and wellbeing. Her approach is informed by a rich tapestry of experiences – from studying Ayurvedic medicine in South India to overcoming personal adversities around child sexual exploitation and subsequent mental health challenges. This background infuses ourppls with a unique ethos, one that recognizes the intrinsic link between cultural expression and personal healing. Under Cullen's guidance, ourppls has evolved into more than just an agency; it's a movement that champions the idea that creativity, when nurtured within a supportive community, can be a powerful tool for social change and individual growth.
As we reflect on the significance of Black History Month, Elsie Ayotunde Cullen's work serves as a brilliant example of how cultural heritage can be a springboard for innovation. Her projects don't just acknowledge diversity; they celebrate it, creating platforms where different voices can harmonize and amplify each other. In a world often divided, Cullen's vision of community – one that's creative, inclusive, and deeply rooted in cultural awareness – offers a compelling model for building bridges and fostering understanding. Through her work, she doesn't just honor history; she actively shapes a future where culture and community are inextricably linked, each enriching the other in a continuous cycle of growth and creativity.
Q: The concept behind ourppls is really unique. Can you tell us about your mission there, and what were the first steps you took to bring it to life?
Thank you x ourppls was born from a festival I was asked to program and produce for a local community center back in 2016 celebrating Black History Month. I found the experience so incredibly fulfilling being able to curate activities such as healthy eating workshops, dance classes, chess clubs, an exhibition and more. It was just so exciting and I really saw the value and wealth within ‘ourppl’ and ‘ourppls’ passions, in creating holistic safe spaces, building confidence, creating new relationships etc etc.
With a background in nursing and the performing arts, I’ve always been interested in how we can care for and develop our communities in ways that are people centered factoring in our creativity and culture.
After that, connecting with elder changemakers in the community, I also realised how estranged many of them were to advancements in digital business technologies and the gap in support for their training and development - that’s where the agency was born.
The rest has been a long stop-and-start journey, which is now a full-time journey.
Q: Your work often bridges creativity and wellbeing. How do you see these two elements connecting, and can you share an example of a project where you've seen this connection have a real impact on people?
The links between Creativity and Wellbeing are widely researched, some of those connection points include: creativity such as creative writing or dance providing a mode of self expression and stress relief; acting and music boosting self esteem; creative group activities helping to foster new relationships; things such as dance or sports improving physical wellbeing etc.
Personally, I believe that creativity is the very make up of our being, it’s who we are and something we employ continuously. However, what I think is missing from a lot of our lives is our inspiration and imagination, which we’re often told to suppress and ignore via either direct or indirect messaging from the society around us.
Back in 2020 during COVID, myself and my friend Julia ran an online ‘Creative Culture Clubs’ for young children which provided a fun and engaging channel helping them build new friendships, keep fit through dance classes, learn new languages and more.
Q: The "Black at Glasto" initiative sounds fascinating. What inspired you to start this, and what's been the most surprising outcome you've seen from bringing festival-goers together in this way?
Black at Glasto! Thank you so much! I’ve been going to Glastonbury since 2014! I got the opportunity through the PR agency I was working for at the time, Fuja Comms. I was 18 years at the time and completely alone for the first time. It’s no secret that there is a white-majority at Glastonbury which spans across both the audiences, performers and teams working behind the scenes. In those first ½ days that I first arrived, I felt completely alone. I was extremely shy at the time and for various reasons found it quite hard to feel like I ‘belonged’. That was until I 1. Met my stage team on what was then called ‘The Gully Stage’ led by Ray Paul who had been able to create a majority black stage production team, and also featured a vast array of ‘World Artists’ including Lee Scratch Perry, Shaggy, and more.
And then 2. saw someone that I knew ‘Afronaut Zu’ who was performing at one of the other stages. We connected after his performance and he introduced me to his friends Sophia Thakur and Chantel, and the rest was history. We instantly became a tribe and family, going to all our favorite acts together, sharing our favorite foods and hair care products and more.
Meeting my tribe completely changed my Glastonbury experience and every year since has been the same. I always go by myself and wait for the magical moment I get to meet and make ‘my tribe’
The Black at Glasto chat was born from this experience, I essentially wanted to make it easier for ‘us’ to connect and find each other out in the fields. After starting it just two weeks before Glastonbury, we received a massive response from the community and have since received support and opportunities from the likes of Polaroid, BBC 1Xtra, Team Love and Atlantic Records. We’ve been having some very promising conversations for Glasto 2025 and can’t wait to share it all with everyone
Q: You've done some amazing collaborations, like the one with the V&A Museum. What's your approach to partnering with established institutions, and how do you ensure community voices remain at the forefront?
It’s been an incredible experience working with the V&A and as mentioned I’ve also had the pleasure of working on or leading projects at Somerset House, The Natural History Museum, The Saatchi Gallery and more, (Southbank Centre I’m coming for you x). Every one of these organizations is different, their aims are different, their teams are different and so it’s incredibly important to at first understand who you’re working with, what their aims are, and what the scope of the project is, whether it’s a private event, collaboration etc.
Speaking on our work with the V&A Museum specifically, I think community collaboration is at the heart of our success. I’ve always been passionate about opening up space to other partners within our community so that they can also take up space for themselves and for their communities. For the V&A this adds diversity, and for myself, it helps to delegate responsibility which makes managing the relationship that much easier.