The Story Behind Bold Tendencies
Exercising the principles of permanence in a highly impermanent situation; a creative enterprise that has attracted 1 million visitors so far...
The Story So Far
Bold Tendencies is a not-for-profit creative enterprise and arts organisation founded in Peckham in 2007. It was set up formally (i.e. legally) as a Community Interest Company in 2011 following four years of annual projects under the same name, which were run informally, supported and administered by volunteers. It is located on Levels 7-10 of the disused municipal multi-storey car park. Over a 10 year period, Bold Tendencies - together with its core partner projects Frank’s Cafe and the award-winning Multi-Story Orchestra - has transformed its car park home through an annual commissioning programme of visual art, music and literature, and pioneering architectural commissions including Frank’s and the Hay Bale Auditorium. With immersive public spaces, spectacular views across London and an ambitious portfolio of education and community work, the project has attracted more than 1 million visitors so far.
Finding The Space
When I first worked in Peckham I spent lots of time talking to and working with Russell Profitt who ran The Peckham Programme for Southwark Council. He introduced me to one of Southwark’s Buildings Officers named Dave Strevens who was based in Peckham. It was Dave who from time-to-time showed me interesting buildings in the area; one winter’s afternoon he showed me the top floors at the Multi-Storey Car Park on Rye Lane.
"The concrete covered space with long, wide and, at times, low dimensions and proportions offers a unique challenge and opportunity to artists, architects, performers and musicians alike to make exciting new work for this unique and special site in London".
The Challenges
The challenges have been far too numerous to outline here… but two that immediately spring to mind are how to pursue progress across all strands of our activity, and how to constantly evolve creative solutions to important questions of fundraising and logistics that support the artistic and education programmes. Both are constantly being addressed by the incredible hard work and commitment of many different people to these goals. And this has been the case over many years. Its peculiar scale and situation provides a challenge unlike any other. The site demands a responsiveness to the variety of urban “scenographies” that surround it on all sides as well as the weather and seasonal conditions that pass through it over a summer season. Over time the site has also grown to welcome and respond to its heightened sense of civic responsibility and with it opportunities to welcome projects that study and celebrate the city so visible from the building.
Commissioning and Funding the Work
In terms of commissioning, we do not prescribe any specific outcomes, we try to learn every day how to do the work we have committed to better, and always aim towards world class and wide appeal. We put trust in the artists we work with and prioritize a collaborative approach - to creative problem solving as well as making manifest original ideas (those of others and our own). Through a mix of commercial revenues, private patrons, corporate support, Arts Council funding and in-kind partnerships.
Collaboration with Derek Jarman
The artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman (1942-1994) left behind an extraordinary legacy. Perched on the wild, dynamic landscape of the beach at Dungeness in Kent the artist’s beloved home Prospect Cottage is surrounded by a marvellous garden. Often portrayed in books and film, the garden has since come to be recognised as a spectacular artwork. The Derek Jarman Garden was commissioned by Bold Tendencies and designed by Dan Bristow. Joe Balfour first approached Bristow, artist and garden designer, on behalf of Bold Tendencies in 2012, with the idea of creating a new, green space within the urban landscape of Bold Tendencies’ site. This inaugural organic space came to fruition as a major achievement of Bold Tendencies 7 in 2013, and has continued to develop since. With the creative guidance of Keith Collins, Jarman’s partner before his death, the garden at Peckham is both an homage to Jarman’s original creation, and an extension of his ideas within an urban location.
Commenting very generally I firmly believe that art spaces are custodians of material – a content of great ideas - which, if mobilized beyond the situation simply of the exhibition, performance etc, can be put to inspiring use in the local community, in the city and in society more widely…
Something Out of Nothing
A key insight? It is possible to create something out of nothing, but this is totally dependent on the commitment of the many people who have formed the ever-changing and evolving community around Bold Tendencies since it started.
All curators I know are curious people interested in artists and the work they make and always focused on working out how best to share that with the world at large through the many platforms for exhibition, display, experiment, discussion etc available to us in the 21st century.
Inspiration
The Ghetto Film School founded by Joe Hall based in New York and LA. Reprezent Radio founded by Shane Carney based in London. Both projects are driven by encouraging the creativity of young people and developing skills enabling performance and progress at the highest level. They are both very exciting organisations and I deeply admire what they do and the principles they stand for.