Make Space Studios, Lambeth. Photo credit: Tom Leamon
Crossing south of the Thames river in January 2010 in search of my new studio space, having long worked out of East London, seemed an unlikely option. I rarely ventured so far south. However, cheap studio rent and the potential for being part of a new thriving art scene made it an inviting chance for a change of direction.
After several visits to the usual white walled studios I set my eyes upon Make Space Studios, an old network rail training center that had recently been taken on by an over-active group of Australians. The site was huge, but the team involved small; the task to turn these studios into a thriving artist community seemed a difficult one, yet the potential was there for all to see.
Immediately, I set upon convincing my sister into leaving her job as a designer for a fashion label to follow her dream of creating her own brand – which would also enable us to join forces and take on a larger studio space together. After a little deliberation, she took a leap of faith and we were in. As the weeks and months went on, the community grew, and the studios began to emulate the activity and local community spirit of the thriving Lower Marsh and Waterloo area. A wonderfully eclectic place to work, Lower Marsh itself brims with an old world charm and a busy array of specialist shops and eateries. Take a hard left off the street and you find yourself in the now iconic Old Vic tunnels, with there constant traffic of graffiti artist and regular exhibitions; straight out of the tunnel you hit the South Bank, the capital’s cultural hub.
My involvement with Make Space Studios expanded over those early months and I began to help run the onsite gallery. This then led to the opportunity to take on managing a sister site just minutes down the road, and so the story of Studio 180 began. In November of 2010, with massive help from Dennis and Rebecca Geary, founders of Make Space Studios, and artists Jennifer White and Sam Hacking, not to mention my sister Katie, I took on the enormous task of turning an abandoned four-story house in Lambeth into unique and very intimate artist studios. The process was long and arduous, but after three months of intensive work the very dated ’70′s office space that was 180 Lambeth Road was transformed into a beautiful collection of studios, bubbling with original Georgian charm.
Once the space was established, I spent two months interviewing a really diverse group of artists; by mid April this year, all the studios were full and bustling with creativity. In May, The Basement Space was officially born. First a room to host music gigs, the space has now become a multi-functional room that can be hired for any number of creative events.
Like this one: On December 15, Studio 180 plays host to the last public event of the year, “Bottom Less”, an energetic group exhibition featuring a truly fantastic collection of artists put together by myself and artist Jabulani Maesko. Visitors will be given a map on entry, a welcome guide to navigate the plethora of still and moving imagery, installation and performance art. Superimposed on the quirky, intimate backdrop of Studio 180 itself, “Bottom Less” will be a multi-disiplinary spectacle that will bombard the senses.
‘Bottom Less’ @ Studio 180
180 Lambeth Road
London
SE1 7JY
Private view, Thursday 15 December 2010 6.30pm-9.30pm
Open, 17 and 18 December 2010 11am-7pm
By appointment, 19th December 2011 – 15th January 2012
Please contact [email protected] to arrange a viewing.
