INFORMAL CREATIVE SPACES
THIS WEBSITE IS AN EXPLORATION OF THREE INFORMAL ART SPACES THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED BY ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS IN LONDON. TWO OF THESE VENUES (IKLECTIK AND MATCHSTICK PIEHOUSE) HAVE RECENTLY CLOSED.
THESE SPACES ARE ENDANGERED BY THE CURRENT ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CLIMATE IN THE UK. THIS IS HAVING A VISIBLE IMPACT ON CREATIVE SCENES AND PRACTITIONERS AND MANY FEEL THAT THIS IS AFFECTING LONDON’S POTENTIAL AS A HUB OF CREATIVE INNOVATION.
SET
HISTORY SHOWS THAT PERIODS OF ECONOMIC RECESSION COINCIDE WITH ARTISTIC RENOVATION. LARGE INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS THAT BECOME VACANT CREATE THE POSSIBILITY FOR A NEW SCENE TO EMERGE. SOUTH LONDON IS HOME TO A GREAT VARIETY OF ONCE-ABANDONED SPACES TRANSFORMED INTO HUBS OF CREATIVITY.
THIS HAS TAKEN PLACE IN MANY FORMS SUCH AS SQUAT COMMUNITIES, CREATIVE WORKSPACES, VENUES, COMMUNITY CENTRES ETC… REPURPOSED BUILDINGS HAVE BECOME A CENTRAL SPHERE TO THE FORMATION OF CREATIVE COMMUNITIES, YET THE CONTINUOUS URBANISATION OF OUR CITY, THE COST OF LIVING CRISIS AND THE COVID PANDEMIC, HAS PUT GREAT PRESSURE ON THESE CREATIVE SPHERES THAT RELY ON COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT TO STAY ALIVE.
MATCHSTICK PIEHOUSE
THE COMMON ELEMENTS OF THESE SPACES SEEMS TO BE A DIY AESTHETIC, THE RE-USE OF BUILDINGS AND RESOURCES OF ALL KINDS, AND AN INFORMAL AND FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT WHICH WELCOMES ALL WHO WISH TO PARTICIPATE.
IN MY DOCUMENTATION OF THESE SPACES, I HAVE TRIED TO CONVEY SOMETHING OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND FLAVOUR OF THESE UNIQUE, INFORMAL AND CREATIVE SPACES.
IKLECTIK ART LAB