Re-use of empty retail spaces: town centre animation
Below for interest and reference are some links to a range of organisations, publications, initiatives, etc, relevant to the re-use or animation of empty retail space through the arts.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
DCMS 2009 publication, ‘Lifting people, lifting places’ is available to download at:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/6145.aspx Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, states in the foreword: “Culture and sport have a unique ability to lift people and places – more so now than ever before. We can, and must, do more to harness this power to instil confidence in our communities and breathe new life into our villages, towns and cities”.
Communities and Local Government
CLG 2009 publication, ‘Looking after our town centres’ is available to download
here
This is a practical guide for town centre managers and their local partners.
The foreword, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, states:
“Town centres should be places where everyone…can come together as equal citizens. The high street, the market square, the shopping centre – these are the places that define a town, give it its sense of identity and vibrancy, and give local people a sense of pride in the place they live and work….We need to look after our town centres during turbulent economic times every bit as well, if not better, than we did before. Keeping our town centres dynamic and interesting places helps to protect the future of local businesses while continuing to attract local people and visitors onto their streets.”
Arts Council
An overview of the organisation’s action on recession including Town Centre Initiative and Grants for the Arts.
www.artscouncil.org.uk/actiononrecession
NESTA: the National Endowment for Sports, Technology & The Arts
“Innovation is the single most important condition for transforming the current economic crisis into an opportunity. Never before has innovation been so critical to the UK's economy and society. NESTA is committed to leading innovation in the UK and believes that both public and private sectors must harness innovation in order to become more efficient and to survive an economic downturn.
To offer leadership and guidance… NESTA will develop research to show how innovation can play an active part in helping businesses, industry and the public sector. We are also publishing a series of articles written by leading entrepreneurs on how to survive the recession.”
http://www.nesta.org.uk/attacking-the-recession/
The Civic Trust www.civictrust.org.uk and the New Economics Foundation are working on a collaborative venture, High Street UK. Further information about programmes and resources may be viewed at: http://www.highstreetuk.org.uk
Culture and Sport Planning Toolkit
Part of the guidance it provides mentions use of existing assets within an area. The toolkit is on the Living Places website
http://www.living-places.org.uk
Artquest
Tips on setting up artist-led space in empty shops
link to tips here
Creative Choices
Creative Choices is the first online service to provide the tools, knowledge and networks to support individuals and businesses to get in, and get on, in the creative industries and cultural sector.
http://www.Creative-choices.co.uk/
Business Link
Includes general advice on business rates and rates relief
Business Link advice
Meanwhile Space CIC supports individuals and organisations to bring buildings and land that has become temporarily redundant into constructive use: http://www.meanwhilespace.com/
Some examples of Press coverage about artists and empty shops:
The Guardian
“Artists are coming to a high street near you” article by Joanna Moorhead in The Guardian, 23 April 2009
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/apr/23/artists-take-over-empty-shops
Regeneration & Renewal
“5 steps to dealing with empty shops” by Stuart Wilson, In practice column in Regeneration & Renewal, 11 May 2009 as well as various other articles by other authors over preceding months.
http://www.regen.net/resources/5StepsTo/904248/5-steps-dealing-empty-shops/
The New Statesman
Article by William Shaw published on 2 April 2009 Called ‘Windows of opportunity’: observations on empty shops
http://www.newstatesman.com/business/2009/04/empty-shops-art-space-low/
AN The Artists Information Company
Some references to artists and empty shops and links
http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/516692
Empty Shop Network
A network of UK artists and organisations using empty shops across the UK:
rnhttp://artistsandmakers.com/staticpages/index.php/emptyshops
NB The area geographic references are not standard government regions so for example Cambridge and Colchester are listed under South rather than East.
National Federation of Artists’ Studio Providers
NFASP joins government ministers in talks over plans for empty shops
http://www.nfasp.org.uk/news_single.php?id=516 (posted 21 April 2009)
The Guardian “Artists' creative use of vacant shops brings life to desolate high streets”
Article by Robert Booth, The Guardian, Wed 18 February 2009
Empty premises seen as a golden opportunity
About 72,000 retail outlets predicted to close in 2009
rnhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/feb/18/slack-space-vacant-shops
Ivan Pope, Artist’s blog
http://blog.ivanpope.com/awol/2009/02/art-into-recess.html
Frieze
Exhibition review
Artist Richard Woods’ Super Tudor (2002), Deitch Projects, New York, USA
http://www.frieze.com/issue/review/richard_woods/
The Old Still, Peterborough
An empty pub building in Peterborough city centre has been transformed into an art gallery. The Old Still closed in March 2008 and while a new landlord is sought for the pub, five Peterborough artists were given the chance to showcase their work.
http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Old-Still-is-Peterborough39s-newest.5751787.jp
Some examples of arts projects in empty retail units:
Artangel and Breakdown
Breakdown, artist Michael Landy’s project, took place in the former C&A department store, Oxford St, London W1.
http://www.artangel.org.uk/projects/2001/break_down
Wildworks’ Souterrain, an Insite project
This promenade performance took place on several floors in an empty shop in Colchester as well as in the gardens of the Minories in association with Firstsite.
http://www.artsgenerate.org.uk/project-archive/souterrain.html
http://www.firstsite.uk.net
The Shop, Jesus Lane, Cambridge
The aim of ‘The Shop’ is to provide a forum where members of the local community can meet, share ideas, support artwork in progress and make new contacts in an informal and inclusive environment.
http://theshopjesuslane.co.uk/
Art, Work, Shop!
Five Fellows took part in an exciting project at the Howard Centre, Welwyn Garden City, during the October half-term 2005. A vacant shop premises was taken over for art workshops, and by the end of the week a huge map of the centre had been created by the children taking part. This was hung in the main entrance of the Howard Centre. Art, Work, Shop was funded jointly by the Howard Centre and a match-funding from Arts & Business.
http://www.chilternweb.co.uk/digswell/sitefiles/projects.htm
(temporary website)
Wysing Arts Centre
Between January and June 2007, during their £1.7 million capital re-building programme at their Bourn site, Wysing took its artistic programme – Seja marginal, Seja Heroi (Be Marginal, Be a Hero) parts 1-5 - to an off-site retail space close to the City Centre.
http://www.Wysingartscentre.org/
http://www.wysingartscentre.org/exhibition/69
Bedford Creative Arts
Bedford Creative Arts re-located to an empty shop space on the High Street in 2007 and has had a significant increase in visitor numbers to exhibitions and other activities.
http://www.bedfordcreativearts.org/
Haring Woods Associates
Eileen and Michael Woods devised and produced a series of new concept arts and entertainment events in landmark London venues – Regent and Oxford Streets, Covent Garden, Carnaby, Seven Dials. These projects depended upon close partnerships with local authorities, property owners and deveopers, retailers, media, schools and universities, and creative practitioners. All of these projects used vacant and tenanted shops for temporary installations,exhibitions and participatory arts.
www.haringwoods.com
(link to 17/6 presentation)
Seven Dials, Covent Garden, London WC1
Cultural events and activities as part of the wider retail offer:
http://www.sevendials.co.uk/news/detail.cfm?ID=105
The District
http://www.frontroomcambridge.com/
http://www.frontroomcambridge.com/artists/
Space Station 65
Artists-run space in South East London with shop window exhibitions:
http://www.spacestationsixtyfive.com/
Aspex
Performance art and live events at Apex gallery and at various off-site venues through Portsmouth during summer 2009:
http://www.aspex.org.uk/exhibitions/future.htm
Sagar Street Gallery
Transforming an empty shop into an arts space
http://www.ctcp.org.uk/html/2_sagar_street.html
Castleford Heritage Trust
Heritage Festival news and re-use of empty shop by artists
http://www.castlefordheritagetrust.org.uk/bridge_arts.htm
Islington Mill
This former mill is now artists’ studios
http://www.islingtonmill.com/index.php
Salford Restoration Office
This curatorial organisation is currently using an empty shop as an office base and events space.
http://www.thesalfordrestorationoffice.org/sro.html
Shops Upfront – Liverpool Culture Company 2005
Project involving artists to renew a parade of shops in Toxteth
http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/News/archive/2005/newsdetail_1289.asp
Liverpool Biennial
Artist Richard Woods’ ‘Innovation-investment-progress’ (2008) transformed the interior of a DIY shop into a powerful statement of positive thinking
LINK
Turner Contemporary
Turner Contemporary Project Space: a former Marks & Spencer store was brought into use as a temporary project space in February 2008, ahead of the completion of the new gallery. It had also been used on a temporary basis in 2006. Since the opening of its main facility, Turner Contemporary has presented a number of exhibitions and events in the temporary space.
The local authority was supportive and involved and facilitated the temporary arrangements. Rates were renegotiated during occupation and insurance was covered by Kent County Council (the building was in public ownership).
Artists took a three week residency in an empty shop unit. Shop windows were turned into ‘fake’ shops that were open to the public to show the potential of the properties as retail spaces. The units had attractive and vibrant shop fronts during the project.
There were no change of use issues as the artistic projects were short term and the spaces were intended to return to retail use afterwards.
Windows of opportunity - Margate
The Creative Foundation
Folkestone’s Creative Quarter – regeneration of a once-fashionable yet then faded seaside town with support from creative people and businesses
http://www.creativefoundation.org.uk/
More case studies can be found in 'Documents' listed below:
Documents
- 17 June 09 - Haring Woods presentation (Powerpoint, 4.13Mb)
Presentation by Haring Woods on revitalising unused shop and business premises by artists.
- CO-exist Arts handout (PDF, 259.88Kb)
Information about Co-exist Arts
- In certain places - Preston (PDF, 1.97Mb)
Arts projects in Preston's historic covered market
- Licence to occupy (Word, 37Kb)
Sample lease for alternative use of commercial property.
- Talking shop - East Lancashire (PDF, 112.01Kb)
Engaging the business community in regeneration through arts based approaches.