A Million Minutes ceased activities in May 2014. This site will remain online as an archive of the project.

A Million Minutes was a two-year programme of commissioned public artworks in Archway and Finsbury Park in North London. The project was initiated by Islington Council during times of austerity, and produced by AIR, a Central Saint Martins research studio which had been committed to local practice in the area for five years previously. A Million Minutes provided the opportunity for a heterogeneous group of practitioners to examine the public process, as well as to activate meaningful creative dialogue with a wide spectrum of local participants.

There were times when the minutes went too fast and others when they dragged by, however within those minutes there were many transformative moments. This website brings together the multiple voices to describe both the outcomes and the processes involved in creating these extraordinary moments and works.

A Million Minutes had three overlapping commissioning strands, supporting exceptional new works within wide social contexts that prioritised active community participation and engagement, and were sensitive and relevant to the dynamics, histories, and cultures of Archway and Finsbury Park. For 'Hostings', artists collaborated with, and responded to, their 'host' organisation during a four month residency, culminating in a public event. For 'Windows', artists temporarily occupied a glass-fronted space on Junction Road as a site of collecting, making, testing, sharing, and showing in public. 'Spaces' supported the development of new public interventions that explored and challenged local situations.