Fitzrovia Noir came together in 2008 to document the end of the iconic Middlesex Hospital, creating artworks from medical ephemera and inviting former staff and patients to be photographed in the as it was slowly being demolished. We have since produced more than 100 site responsive installations, from a 13th Century chateau, to a Tyneside pithead, an Edinburgh chapel, a masonic temple in Luxembourg to many locations across London. Now we have been given a long-empty former post office on the Aberfeldy Estate, which we can convert into a new Making Space.
We have invited a number of artists from countries as diverse as Brazil, Morocco and New Zealand to work with us, building up reciprocity, where London-based artists travel to make work in those countries too. Most recently we hosted multinational arts group Young Blood Initiative, who delivered a huge ranage of activities mid-Sept-mid-Oct 2020, prior to our planned refurbishment of 48 Aberfeldy Street https://youngbloodinitiative.com/Wake-Up-Smell-the-Tear-Gas-Agenda
In October 2020, between lockdowns, we trialled ideas outlined here, using loaned equipment, which was incrediblty well received locally. Due to social distancing requirements we held these glass casting sessions outdoors in the car parking area behind 48 Aberfeldy Street, avoiding the sharing of glassblowing pipes, to reduce to zero any chance of infections being passed on. We have other options should it be necessary to continue Covid safety measures, including flat glass 'sandwich' workshops that only require a kiln to fire overnight. Our aim will still be to source waste materials both for the making of our own furnace (necessary for blowing glass) and to melt down eg., cathode TV screens for reshaping.
We'll involve a group of local youths to help with this, as well as general refurbishment of the space, from which they can have practical 'on the job training' as well as gaining useful planning experience and improving social skills, useful for future employment.
While not covering any spend on activities, we have seed funding from Power To Change to incoroprate and establish a new educational foundation working from Poplar, with a further small grant from City Bridge Trust to mentor three locally-rooted organisations who also wish to champion social change. We feel this added activity and capital investment programme that we are crowdfunding for here, can only enhance the development of creative practice and Outreach locally.
