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Centrum

about: 

Centrum is a contemporary art space in the Flughafenkiez district of Neukölln, Berlin. Formerly used as a retail store and brothel, Centrum’s exhibition space is not a pure white cube, but owes its specific character to its tiled floor composed of red ceramic and gray stone tiles, and from the large shop window looking out into the street. Artists have in the past on several occasions produced works and installations that were inspired by these characteristics and by the history of the space.
Centrum since 2010 has collaborated with various artists and has developed a series of experimental projects, including a festival of video installations and film screenings, and performances. Some projects were shown outside the exhibition space and in collaboration with other artist-run initiatives.
Centrum offers a platform for the discourses in and around contemporary art as well as the opportunity to meet other artists through artist talks, lectures, and film screenings. Centrum was founded in 2009 by Kate Squires and David Moynihan and between September 2014 and December 2019 was run by Mareike Spendel; supported by Max Weiland. Since 2020, Centrum is run by Jorgina Stamogianni as artistic director and Katerina Gnafaki as curator of sound.

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  • other

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Situated in the so-called 'Flughafenkiez' (airport neighbourhood), in walking distance to Berlin's former airport Tempelhofer Feld, the space was formerly used as a dog shelter, café, and finally, until 2009, as a bar and brothel. In 2009 the space was refurbished and a large shop window towards the street was installed by Centrum's founding directors, Kate Squires and David Moynihan, before the exhibition space officially opened in 2010.

address: 

Centrum
Reuterstrasse 7
12053 Berlin 52° 28' 55.308" N, 13° 25' 45.984" E
DE

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  • private

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2010

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The Penthouse

about: 

An independent not for profit artist led work and project space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. A place for making, doing and sharing by artists Rosanne Robertson and Debbie Sharp.

The Penthouse is the place to get your heads and hands dirty with ideas and new beginnings which fly from our rooftops directly into the city around us and beyond.

The Penthouse is the permanent studio base of Rosanne Robertson and Debbie Sharp.

Noise Above Noise was borne of The Penthouse- described as

“Performance series Noise Above Noise elevates Manchester’s underground scene to the fifth floor of a tower block”. Frances Morgan- The Wire.

“The Penthouse, found on the top floor of a 1960s office block at the less-saturated edge of the Northern Quarter, is not your average exhibition space. Formed by Rosanne Robertson and Debbie Sharp in late 2012, the studio offers access to the duo’s workspace, used by a variety of creatives to generate multi-sensory experiences, with an emphasis on the divergent and unique…The hands on environment is unlike any other in the city, and encourges experimentation like nowhere else”. Charlotte Davies- The Skinny.

Our main project of 2016 focuses on the effect of space and place on artistic production with dedicated artist residencies at The Penthouse and a public seminar on the subject Sept 2016. Email or tweet us for appointment- we aren’t usually open outside of public events which are advertised via website.

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  • associated group

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Hilton House was built in 1961- designed by architect Richard Seifert who was the architect on famous projects such as Euston Station and Centre Point, London. Originally built as home for Manchester Polytechnic's Lighting and Drama Department it later became a a fashion showroom at ground level and housed a family school uniform business. Ran by the same family who owed the school uniform business the building is now home to a bar on ground level and is of mixed use on other levels. The Penthouse have occupied the top level of the building since 2012.

address: 

The Penthouse
26 - 28 Hilton Street Top Floor, Hilton House
M1 2EH Manchester 53° 28' 50.718" N, 2° 13' 55.6284" W
GB

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  • private

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2012

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& M o d e l

about: 

&model is a curatorial project established in 2012 by James Chinneck, Chris Bloor and Derek Horton. We have run a continuous exhibition programme (from January 2013 onwards) sometimes working alongside guest curators and showing a diverse range of international artists. We are continuing to use our three-floor 19th century building in central Leeds to develop projects and events that bring contemporary artists and others to work alongside some of the city’s emerging practitioners. Occasional artist residencies complement our exhibition programme. Use of the building is enabled by the Leeds charity RTTA (Regeneration Through The Arts). All our projects, so far involving well over 200 artists are documented in the archive section of our website - http://www.andmodel.com/archive.htm

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  • charity

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&Model is located in a three-storey early-19th century building in central Leeds. Originally built as a town house it has had a variety of commercial usage for most of its lifetime before we took it over and converted it into a gallery space across all three floors in 2012, opening in January 2013.

address: 

&Model
19 East Parade
LS1 4GH Leeds , WYK 53° 47' 57.7608" N, 1° 32' 57.0336" W
GB

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2013

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The NewBridge Project

about: 

The NewBridge Project supports artists to investigate and challenge the boundaries of contemporary art practice.
The NewBridge Project is an artist-led community comprising of over 80 artist studios, an exhibition space and book shop based in a 29,000sqft former office block in Newcastle city centre.
The NewBridge Project was established in 2010 to provide exchange and support in an engaged and discursive community of artists. The shared workspace is a critical and collaborative environment that allows artists to discuss and develop new ideas and projects.
The NewBridge Project Space provides artists with the opportunity to exhibit in a supportive space that promotes an experimental and critical approach to practice. The exhibition space is dedicated to exploring new and diverse contemporary art practice through a programme of regular exhibitions, screenings and events, supported by responsive talks, publications and broadcasts.
The NewBridge Project continues to develop in response to the needs and interests of its members.

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  • community interest company

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Norham House
12-18 New Bridge Street West
NE1 8AW Newcastle upon Tyne , TWR 54° 58' 27.7932" N, 1° 36' 38.7072" W
GB

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  • open plan, private

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2010

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A Small View

about: 

A Small View is a small, independent, artist-led exhibition space based in the heart of Liverpool. Open since April 2015, the space has collaborated with a number of international and local artists, exhibiting diverse works that reflect the multifaceted nature of contemporary art practice. Managed by Benjamin Davies and Kelly Hayes, A Small View aims to experiment and facilitate new collaborations within the city of Liverpool.

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  • charity

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Gallery
Hanover Street
L1 Liverpool , MSY 53° 24' 12.4056" N, 2° 59' 1.6728" W
GB

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2015

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Salon Neu

about: 

made the north sea a radical project space
by installing a group show in it (collaboration with Embassy Gallery)
commemorative mousemats now change hands on ebay for £200

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  • other

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Salon Neu

address: 

The North Sea
57° 9' 14.832" N, 2° 22' 22.9764" E
GB

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  • open plan, private

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2011

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Central---Reservation

Central --- Reservation, Bristol

about: 

Central—Reservation was a temporary project space in Bristol, UK dedicated to the support, production and presentation of contemporary visual arts.

Between March and July 2010, Central—Reservation presented a programme of exhibitions, events and collaborative projects with a backdrop of production in the four studio residencies.
Central—Reservation offered artists and curators the opportunity to present ambitious projects, making use of the current surplus of empty commercial property.
Alongside the core programme, Central—Reservation invited artist led and independent groups from across the UK to propose exhibitions and events to put on in the space.

The former motorcycle showroom is located on Stokes Croft, a main access route into central Bristol. It offered 10,000 sq ft of exhibition and event space over two floors, plus partitioned workspaces for resident artists to test and document work.

Central—Reservation was established by Lucy Drane, Hannah James and Jane Porter, an independent group, each working within key arts organisations in the city. The project developed through their mutual membership of the Spike Island Associates Programme and a shared interest in realising a dynamic new project space in Bristol.

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  • unincorporated organisation

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Motorcycle showroom

address: 

15 – 19 Stokes Croft
BS1 3PY Bristol 51° 27' 39.9204" N, 2° 35' 27.1464" W
GB

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2010

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2010

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Two Queens

about: 

Two Queens ,based in a former city centre Cash & Carry, is the collaboration of Vanilla Galleries and CUSP, two Leicester based groups of artists.

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  • other

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previously a Cash & Carry

address: 

2 Queen Street
LE1 1QW Leicester 52° 38' 5.7192" N, 1° 7' 31.8972" W
GB

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  • open plan, private

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2012

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Acme Studios: Devons Road

David Panton and Jonathan Harvey outside 117 Devons Road, E3 one of the first two Acme houses and first office. Photo: Claire Smith (1974)

about: 

The first properties to be managed by Acme Studios were 105 and 117 Devons Road in Bow, E3, in the heart of London’s East End. These redundant and semi-derelict Victorian shops, licensed to Acme in 1973 by the Greater London Council (for 21 months), marked the beginnings of an organisation which would become the largest provider of working and living space for artists in the United Kingdom. As part of the licence artists were required to carry out extensive repairs in exchange for very low rents (£3 per week) and agreement to hand properties back when required for demolition.

from: 'Artists in East London'
online available at: www.acme.org.uk/download.php?pdf=149
(accessed September 2013)

'Groundbreaking times: the first ten years of Acme' - Jonathan Harvey

Setting up Acme Studios in 1972 was driven by necessity. As a group of recent graduates coming out of Reading University Fine Art Department, it was about thinking: ‘We have to get to London, London is where it’s happening. How on earth does one afford to have a space to live and work there?’

At that time, there were a lot of boarded-up, unused premises in east London – one or two of our contemporaries had made approaches to the Greater London Council (GLC) and had successfully negotiated an odd shop here or an old house there. This alerted us to the possibility and we went direct to the GLC and said: ‘Look, there’s all this empty property that’s just sitting there unused.’ Much of it was destined for major housing redevelopment which was delayed because of the economic down-turn. The GLC responded: ‘Well, you’ve got two alternatives, one is to squat, but we’ll get you out, and the other is to go away and form a housing association.'

It took seven people and ten pounds each to register as a charitable housing association. The GLC transferred two properties in Bow on Devons Road – I had one and my co-founder David Panton had the other. Each had a 21-month life, no utilities, and were in appalling condition, but when you’ve got no money and there’s a lot of space – even though it was short term – we made very good use of them.

I think the GLC was impressed by how quickly we were able to put the properties back into use, so it started to transfer more. We needed five houses for the seven founder members, but when we were offered more and more property, we said: ‘We know so many artists that could benefit from this.’

There was no intention to start an organisation – we sort of stumbled into it – but within a year we were managing about 90 houses and realised this was becoming more than a full-time job. There is still a huge challenge to be able to live in London and practice as an artist. Affording somewhere to live is challenging enough, but then to have somewhere to work – that challenge, or demand, has never gone away. (...)

from: 'Groundbreaking times: the first ten years of Acme'
online available at: www.new.a-n.co.uk/news/single/groundbreaking-times-the-first-ten-years-o...
(accessed September 2013)

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  • charity

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Devons Road:
Earlier called Bromley Lane, the road may have gained its present name from former landowner Thomas Devon. Like most of Bromley-​​by-​​Bow, this area began to fill with warehouses and working-​​class housing from the 1820s and became progressively poorer and more overcrowded as the 19th century wore on. Using funds generated by the sale of the City church of All Hallows Staining, the Grocers’ Company paid for the construction of All Hallows Bow in 1873–4. The church was wrecked by a bomb during the Blitz and was afterwards rebuilt in a style inspired by Early Christian archi­tecture, utilising surviving parts of the original core. The interior has since been subdivided to introduce a multi-​​functional hall. Municipal slum clearance and flat-​​building trans­formed the vicinity of Devons Road over the course of the 20th century – without signi­ficantly improving its aesthetics – but a handful of Victorian structures have survived. Spratt’s Warehouse, beside the railway track in Violet Road, is regarded as one of Britain’s finest industrial buildings. Built in 1899 to make and store pet food and biscuits, it has now been converted into flats and offices.

from: 'Devons Road, Tower Hamlets'
online available at: www.hidden-london.com/gazetteer/devons-road/
(accessed September 2013)

address: 

105 + 117 Devons Road
E3 3QX London 51° 31' 15.5964" N, 0° 1' 9.1524" W
GB

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  • private

established: 

1973

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1975

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Butler's Wharf

Fire at Butler's Wharf, 1979 (photo: Fran Cottell)

about: 

Butler's Wharf was a former riverside warehouse dating from the late 19th century, within the complex of streets and buildings immediately south and east of Tower Bridge.

In the early 1970's many of the buildings in that area had been cheaply purchased by property speculators with a view to re-development. In London at that time, many housing associations and cooperatives were being formed to negotiate cheap rents for derelict properties in the interim period before demolition or redevelopment took place. Many artists lived
and worked under these kinds of arrangements, and it was a group of friends who had met while at art college in the Isle of Man and Brighton who together rented a floor of Block 2B, Butlers Wharf in late 1975, later joined by recent art graduates from Newcastle, Leeds and Maidstone.

From 1975-78, the artists' space at 2B Butler's Wharf was a key venue for early UK video art and performance art, used among others by Derek Jarman and the artists and dancers who subsequently founded Chisenhale Studios and Chisenhale Dance Space, including Philip Jeck.

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Butler's Wharf was built between 1871-73 as a shipping wharf and warehouse complex, to store tea, spices and other imported goods unloaded from ships using the port of London. It contained one of the largest tea warehouse in the world. In 1971, following the relocation of the docks further east and the rise of containerisation, Butler's Wharf and other warehouses in the area fell into disuse.

From 1984, Butler's Wharf has been redeveloped by Conran Roche into luxury flats, with restaurants and shops on the ground floor.
Butler's Wharf is Grade II listed.

exhibitions, events, workshops: 

Exhibitions and events at 2B Butler's Wharf:
The first person to put on a publicized live performance at 2B was Kevin Atherton in November 1975.
In May 1976, regular Saturday evening shows began with presentations by members of the original group, quickly extended to shows by close associates and then opened to all artists wishing to use the space for presentations of their time-based work. In eighty shows over two and a half years, thirty involved film projection, a dozen used video, a further dozen were sound pieces; several used light as a primary element, some were pure performance art, while many used combinations of different media.
By May 1978 when the building was closed down by the developers, there had been over 80 shows by more than 60 artists.
online available at: http://www.studycollection.co.uk/2B/events.html
(accessed September 2013)

bibliography: 

Critical Writing in Art & Design (2013), After Butler's Wharf: Essays on a Working Building, London: Royal College of Art (ISBN: 978-1-907342-71-4)

address: 

Shad Thames
SE1 London 51° 30' 13.23" N, 0° 4' 24.7476" W
GB

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  • private

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1971

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1980

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