Slicker City

I always loved this tin church in Clapham, South London. Googling tin churches I found a great selection of pictures of more places like this here. I love corrugated iron as a material and rusted up in the countryside it is perfectly landscaped. I wish I'd photographed this palce before it was repainted too; it used to be more greeny. So many times I've kicked myself for not getting a photo of something that's struck me in London and then it's gone. This city is changing faster than ever.

And sure enough this place is supposed to be replaced at some point according to this article on the Brixton Society site. Of course the owners may be thrilled to get a new place - this looks hard to heat, but I'm a sucker for character and quirks and London is getting them ironed out at a rate of knots - how boring!!!!
I read a very sobering article on the changes in London here; 'London: the city that ate itself'. Very interesting and amongst other examples it tells how my previous studio provider ACAVA will have lost 200 studios to development. Most other providers are having similar losses. Hands up who's not under threat!?!

Included in that article is the sad tale of the A&C Continental Delicatessen on Atlantic Road in Brixton. Save the Arches is a massive campaign.

This is a lovely, much loved shop run by lovely people. They gave me a hug when I was in there one day feeling miserable that I was going to be evicted (them having no idea they were next) and my mum had had a stroke at the same time. It's a proper friendly, community shop that knows all it's customers. Go there now while you can before Pret a Manger crash in at quadruple the rent and where will we get all those lovely Mediterranean herbs and olives etc, and a slice of water melon on a hot day?

My former home in Brixton: I am proud of everything we achieved there as a housing co-operative. In How to be Bohemian (not sure which episode) Will Self mentions how Bohemia becomes commodified and then becomes hipsterdom and loses all edge....exactly what's happened to Brixton. It's significant that my chandeliers were born and nurtured in a self help co-op in an old building with tons of character and the scope to make our flats really our own environments.
Well I guess that the provinces will benefit from all this rapid change, partially squeezed out myself (split between several places now) I find the undeveloped corners of Plymouth - for example - really refreshing to see. Then in years/decades to come  I'm sure parts of London will be an urban wasteland again and we can all go and live in Billionaires Row (rotting mansions) or those luxury flats that are owned as investments and not lived in; in fact maybe ACAVA could run them as artists studios....

Cheeky Barista

I was served this cappuccino at Federation Coffee in Brixton yesterday. Someone's having festive fun........wonder what else may have gone unnoticed in my coffee.

Studio Change

Before

After

I left Carlton Mansions after 30 years - all my adult life really - because Lambeth evicted our 35 year old co-op. My work was born and nurtured here and I see how the decaying grandeur of my all time favourite building (and Will Self's!) influenced my work. When I moved in in 1984 Brixton was a very different place; some places were called 'no go areas' and some flats and houses 'hard to let' Imagine that!

Packing was a complete nightmare - there was no motivation as I didn't want to leave. Circumstances meant that I'd be taking half my stuff to Devon to be near my mum in her old age and half my stuff to a London studio which I finally found after months on waiting lists, so every item needed a decision of which of the 2 places to go to and you can imagine how much stuff I have as a salvage artist who hates waste!

So, moving forward I find myself beyond Bow in east London with a whole new area to explore; already got lost cycling but autumn has been so sunny and my favourite season for cycling in London that it's been a pleasure. I love my new studio, am gradually making it mine and have started to meet my customers there. It's probably a good thing to be in a completely new neighbourhood as leaving the glorious Mansions was so painful - I hate to think of it standing there empty without our 16 households keeping it warm and I think of the foxes who would prowl our stairwells at night - I hope they and the squirrels and wrens and tits who all nested there have all taken it over completely.

I love old industrial buildings and it's very hard to find a nice, affordable studio in London these days so all in all I'm very lucky. Most importantly Otis has made the transition well too - I am so proud of him. Here he is resting in the bubble wrap box in between explorations in his new country garden.

Oncycling

Has anyone used the term 'oncycling' yet or can I claim it as my own?

I found what I will call 'oncycled' boxes today. Luckily these little things make my heart sing. I find these truly great sculpture. What was a box has been made into a new box and has reprinted new logo on the outside.

These are things of great beauty but also very strong boxes. I love that the base is a bit skewed and not a perfect oblong. In our increasingly shiny over designed world I appreciate this kind of thing even more.

These boxes have great texture. I found them in Brixton Village (I hate calling it that as it will always be Granville Arcade to me - and see this fantastic footage of it in 1961!) one of Brixton's market arcades, but how appropriate for me to have them for packing the materials of my upcycling endeavours ready for move day when that comes. Maybe I should re-label one with my logo for a 3rd life from biscuits to palm juice to chandeliers.

Food Bank

It's very nice to have lots of thriving independent eateries on my doorstep in Brixton. The market seems to have the right balance but there is a real threat that rents will just soar and that these places could become a victim of their own success. So far the big names have not muscled in. Also this movement 'up' of the area had cleared out some drug dealers - very good news.

However there's an edge to watching this that makes me uncomfortable - the difference between those who can afford to eat out and those who now need to use the Food Bank. I read about my local food bank in the Brixton Bugle - the paper arm of The Brixton Blog and am horrified that we now have hungry neighbours amongst us. Just google to find your local food bank, go on, they tell you what they need. I spent just an extra £5 on my shop before Xmas and dropped in non perishable food.

Why cant benefits be a bit more to meet food costs? - all the money goes back into the economy at local shops, claimants aren't going to put it in an off shore account are they?! no, so it stays in the economy and then everyone's a winner.
Re the last photo - I don't eat meat - it being corpses and therefore unappetising - but I do like big simple words hand painted with shadows.

Brixton Pounds

Here is my local currency in South London, some Brixton pounds, they are handsome notes and quite thick paper. I bought some recently to give as a wedding present - wanting to avoid the obvious gifts. And of course if you know any Bowie fans I'm sure they'd be happy with the £10 note even if they're on the other side of the world. An organisation called Transition Town started them to encourage people to support local businesses. This follows a similar scheme in Totnes, Devon and apparently a few other towns have their own currency too. You can find out more on their website. You can even get an electronic account, pay by text and get 10% discount in alot of the participating shops, bars and restaurants.