Londontown 1: The creative scene in London

Written by S. Hargis

The creative scene in London. That sentence isn’t big enough to comprise the multitudes of artists, musicians, galleries, organisations, projects and publications that thrive here.

London is glutted with artists of every make, shape and direction. From the hidden salons to the public havens, the institutions to the activists, London breathes creative energy.

It is my privilege to bring MORPH readers a small slice of this eclectic jungle. I aim to be a link to London; each issue crystallizing an observation, interviewing an artist, reviewing an event or summarising an experience.

I will take you inside the infamous Hackney artist colonies, where clusters of warehouses once abandoned are now populated with creative communities. We will see fringe theatre at its finest, questioning what that constitutes and why, I will even be talking to curators at the forefront of the recent education and participation trends in major art centres.

... And me? I am a single set of eyes and ears, hunting through the madness for sparks of innovation, transcendence and beauty.

It sounds romantic doesn’t it? But my story is a romantic one. I left everything I love to come and explore the London art world, digging my fingers into it looking for new challenges.

I am here to witness, grow and gain. I wanted to see the four corners of the art world with a mind to one day be part of stitching them together. Ever intrepid, I decided one of the biggest art capitals in the world suffering from a major recession seemed an apt starting point. This economic downturn has created an exciting time for the creatively inclined. After all, who else sees opportunity in hard times? Who never had any money anyway and always found a way to produce? Artists are born not bought, they can't go bankrupt and where business fails creativity always finds a channel.

To introduce you to London I will start by saying you don't meet many English people here. I have American, French, Brazilian, Polish, Swedish, Greek and Japanese friends but the English are few and far between. It seems almost as if this city, ancient and infamous, has become global property. Many left these shores to seek out new worlds and bring back bounty. The unexpected return after hundreds of years of colonisation is in fact the greatest treasure of all. People rush into this beating heart of Britannia and rush out again... pumping through the streets, streaming all kinds of ideas, cultures and experiences through its veins.

Everyone is going somewhere in London, eyes front, earpieces on and running to catch up. But with at least three pubs every four buildings it’s easy to find the Londoner relaxing. Surprisingly I find New Zealand to be visually noisy by comparison; bright, branded and vying for your attention. In London you can’t even find a supermarket open past midnight, beautiful old shop buildings with minimal design leave you wondering what they sell until you peer inside. You have to dig out what you’re looking for. It’s an incredible city for the explorer in that sense, take a side street and find an organic eatery housed in a hollowed out double decker bus.

We are starting with the basics here, so this issues top five is:

Top five survival tips:

5) Don't pay $12NZ for a pint, buy a can from the off-licence (convenience stores London lives on) and sit in the park like everyone else.

4) Hackney is where cheap vintage clothes come from, Brick Lane is where you pay four times the price cause someone else found it in Hackney first and is selling it to you.

3) Buy books and records from Greenwich market, food from the farmers markets and everything else from the 'fell off a truck' markets.

2) Never pay first price in Camden, the third price is still twice what its worth.

1) Sign up to gallery/artist/venue mailing lists and set up an email JUST for exhibition openings and events. You’re going to need it.

S. Hargis
artintowords.com