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Brixton news, rumours and general chat: Summer - Autumn 2018

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eyeroll said:
Haha no I'm not! I do know Farouk very well though. He's very aware of the loud opinions of his fellow locals - I've been calming his anxieties this whole week while the final lettering went up! It's all good, I'm just defensive on his behalf :p

I don't know Akil or the Resolve Collective though so I can't speak for the guff they have on their website but sometimes guff is what it takes to get through commissions & competitions unfortunately.
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Nice reverse ferret. Well done
 
editor said:
I'd suggest that the greater majority of locals had no idea the competition was going on, which is a shame given that the bridge is supposed to represent the area in some regard.
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eyeroll said:
I get that. Lambeth did make it a competition open to the public but didn't publicise it well at all so I'm just glad some actual locals did find out about it and win it in the end. Yeah he's a qualified architect but I feel like you may be imagining it as some lucrative profession and not the constant slog to get properly paid for a skill that most people think they can do cause they watched an episode of Grand Designs.

Possibly (definitely... haha) biased but I thought their design was the best from all the rest that were shortlisted. I don't see how it would have ever avoided being a 'forced' icon regardless of who designed it - new public art on that bridge will always attract new attention.

Obviously not everyone is going to like it, that's cool. That's the nature of public art.
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There are some interesting points and questions here to be made and asked.

The first is around the idea that an architect is rolling in money because they have a degree and are a ‘professional’. eyeroll makes an interesting point that it can be a real fucking slog getting work and then getting paid for that work. Just because you have a ‘nice degree’ and a profession doesn’t mean you are rolling in it (and no, nobody actually said that but it is implied). The same is true for lots of businesses, whether you are selling carpets, cocktails, bricks or burgers.

The second point is around people not knowing that a competition to design a local artwork is going on. If you forget the fact that the judges may or may not be biased towards a particular type of result, how exactly do you engage the local community to take part. I don’t know where the competition was publicised, but I suspect about 85-90% of the local population didn’t know it was going on, nor do many of them care.

But how do you get the locals who *might* have been interested engaged and involved. I don’t know the answer to that. Apart from a vocal minority, I suspect a huge proportion of the Brixton population pay little or no attention to any of the comms that come out of Lambeth Council. I didn’t much care myself until I joined this board 4 or 5 years ago and started to take an interest.

Easy to say they should advertise it better, but that costs thousands of coins. Billboards and maildrops are expensive (and quite frankly, that money might be better spent on more important things like street pissing and toilets). They can’t spend money on everything, so the question, how do you get the ‘unheard’ local community involved – particularly when they may have more important concerns like feeding their families and paying their rent?

Genuine question, answers on a postcard please.
 
eyeroll said:
Seriously? How dare someone complete an architecture degree?

The lead designer behind this bridge is an artist and architect called Farouk Agoro who collaborated with Akil from the Resolve Collective. Maybe, for a change, you could show some love for the young black creatives from Brixton who have been given the opportunity to paint a huge love letter to their area? Yes they had to collaborate with the shitshow that is Lambeth Council but at the end of the day they're flying their colours proudly - red, gold and green. For the soundsystems, for the reggae vendors, for the Rastas, for the Reparations March that walks under it every year, for the culture that is so painfully being whitewashed every day in Brixton.
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I get that from looking at the Resolve Collective website. My posts here #1259 and #1263 are sympathetic but critical. The criticism isn't directly at the architects , who I said were well meaning, its the political environment they have to work in that was getting the most stick from me.

Its why I posted I would have liked to see something connected to the 81 riot / uprising. It was one of the most important events in recent Brixton history and is not commemorated anywhere. Of course that will never happen in New Labour Lambeth.

I can see the artistic reasoning behind the artwork. But imo it will be incorporated as part of the "whitewashing" of , Brixton. Come in Love Go in Peace its touchy feely multiculturalism that fits in with Pop and the Department Store.
 
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Gramsci said:
I can see the artistic reasoning behind the artwork. But imo it will be incorporated as part of the "whitewashing" of , Brixton. Come in Love Go in Peace its touchy feely multiculturalism that fits in with Pop and the Department Store.
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Yeah, it's cheesy and patronising, but it's the acceptable corporate language, as considered to be edgy/hippie, creating a 'brand Brixton'. That's what the comms people at the council are there to do. Their job is to do that, and with so many comms and marketing people involved, any really important message will get blanded to fuck due to groupthink. You can't blame individuals for that, they just want to keep their jobs.

If you had some truly bold people at the council you might get, I don't know, 'Windrush - never forget' - but that isn't a mass market tourist friendly message (though personally I would love something more incisive and meaningful like that). I don't think it's about whitewashing, but that kind of culture and fucking BORING semiotics is rife in most of the corporate advertising and comms we see today - because they want to be seen to be funky but also avoid offending the least amount of people possible. And the ones in charge of that have little choice but to toe the imaginary line. I see it all the time in my work.
 
eyeroll said:
I get that. Lambeth did make it a competition open to the public but didn't publicise it well at all so I'm just glad some actual locals did find out about it and win it in the end. Yeah he's a qualified architect but I feel like you may be imagining it as some lucrative profession and not the constant slog to get properly paid for a skill that most people think they can do cause they watched an episode of Grand Designs.

Possibly (definitely... haha) biased but I thought their design was the best from all the rest that were shortlisted. I don't see how it would have ever avoided being a 'forced' icon regardless of who designed it - new public art on that bridge will always attract new attention.

Obviously not everyone is going to like it, that's cool. That's the nature of public art.
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So you are agreeing with me the way the competition was organised was to produce something that would fit in with the Nu Brixton?
 
discobastard said:
Yeah, it's cheesy and patronising, but it's the acceptable corporate language, as considered to be edgy/hippie, creating a 'brand Brixton'. That's what the comms people at the council are there to do. Their job is to do that, and with so many comms and marketing people involved, any really important message will get blanded to fuck due to groupthink. You can't blame individuals for that, they just want to keep their jobs.

If you had some truly bold people at the council you might get, I don't know, 'Windrush - never forget' - but that isn't a mass market tourist friendly message (though personally I would love something more incisive and meaningful like that). I don't think it's about whitewashing, but that kind of culture and fucking BORING semiotics is rife in most of the corporate advertising and comms we see today - because they want to be seen to be funky but also avoid offending the least amount of people possible. And the ones in charge of that have little choice but to toe the imaginary line. I see it all the time in my work.
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I sometimes don't know what to make of your posts. Your not disagreeing with me but somehow no one is to blame. Its unfortunate but what can one do. Is what I get from your posts.
 
Gramsci said:
I sometimes don't know what to make of your posts. Your not disagreeing with me but somehow no one is to blame. Its unfortunate but what can one do. Is what I get from your posts.
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That's a fair point Gramsci. I am not attacking you or defending the council here. I'm trying to be balanced, in that there is unlikley to be anybody in the council who actively wishes to fuck over the historical local population. But they are possibly doing so.

If you want me to be clearer about it, I think the new logo on the bridge is a load of wank and they could have made a statement celebrating Windrush. I would have loved that (just as an example off the top of my head). I don't think anybody is anti the local population but there are systemic issues that people in those jobs have to work towards. So the system is to blame and not the individuals (in a lot of cases anyway).

I work in the world of comms and research, and lots of these people have no idea what they're doing. In councils and corporates you have diffusion of responsibility. Like I say, things end up getting blanded to fuck because of rules and regulations and brand guidelines. Changing things is like turning round a supertanker. Also, people in these roles move on and projects get shelved and forgotten about. Which means things are messy and bland.

I'm not trolling you or suggesting that 'it's that way things are, what can you do?', but just trying to add some context to things.
 
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discobastard said:
The first is around the idea that an architect is rolling in money because they have a degree and are a ‘professional’.
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Where did I say anyone was "rolling in money"? Nowhere, is where. You've just fabricated that 'fact' to try and construct some made-up argument. And, boy, is it tedious.

But the point is, compared to the majority of people living in close proximity to the bridge - and those who the design is supposed to represent in some form - any kind of degree - let alone an architectural degree - is seen as something that is far beyond their grasp and aspirations. It's about privilege and opportunity, and that's in precious short supply for people struggling to pay the everyday bills in Brixton.
 
Flat white wars

The earliest documented reference to the beverage dates back to Australia in the mid-1980s at Moors Espresso Bar in Sydney; Alan Preston added the beverage to his permanent menu in 1985.[3] Other documented references include cafes in Canberra putting up signs in 1985 saying "flat white only" during a seasonal problem with milk cows that prevented the milk froth from forming.[4][5]

However, the origins of the flat white are contentious with New Zealand also claiming its invention.[6][7] The New Zealand claim originates in Auckland, New Zealand by Derek Townsend and Darrell Ahlers of Cafe DKD, as an alternative to the Italian latte,[1][8] and a 2nd New Zealand claim originates from Wellington as a result of a "failed cappuccino" at Bar Bodega on Willis St in 1989.[6] Craig Miller, author of "Coffee Houses of Wellington 1939 to 1979", claims to have prepared a flat white in Auckland in the mid-1980s
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This was such a good night - the sort of thing the Dogstar should have been doing ages ago.

newschool-dogstar-04.jpg


newschool-dogstar-06.jpg


Newschool Thursdays at the Brixton Dogstar showcases up and coming singer/songwriters
 
eyeroll said:
Seriously? How dare someone complete an architecture degree?

The lead designer behind this bridge is an artist and architect called Farouk Agoro who collaborated with Akil from the Resolve Collective. Maybe, for a change, you could show some love for the young black creatives from Brixton who have been given the opportunity to paint a huge love letter to their area? Yes they had to collaborate with the shitshow that is Lambeth Council but at the end of the day they're flying their colours proudly - red, gold and green. For the soundsystems, for the reggae vendors, for the Rastas, for the Reparations March that walks under it every year, for the culture that is so painfully being whitewashed every day in Brixton.
Click to expand...

As the editor succinctly put it 'artwank'. Coming to a newly gentrified priced-out public space near you soon. It is essential that serious artwank comes with a large helping of incomprehensible word salad.

Whether or not this was achieved, the concept of platforms like this, in a part of the city that is witnessing irreconcilable changes, are of growing importance. They are crucial interstices in an ever-growing landscape of siloed identity. Intervening spaces where we, a ‘public’ that is intersected and proliferated by so many disparate and at times paradoxical identities, can engage with one another over issues that matter, and argue, stumble and persist towards meaningful change.


Bridging communities and creating knowledge – DPU student receives UCL award for engagement project
 
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phillm said:
As the editor succinctly put it 'artwank'. Coming to a newly gentrified priced-out public space near you soon. It is essential that serious artwank comes with a large helping of incomprehensible word salad.

Whether or not this was achieved, the concept of platforms like this, in a part of the city that is witnessing irreconcilable changes, are of growing importance. They are crucial interstices in an ever-growing landscape of siloed identity. Intervening spaces where we, a ‘public’ that is intersected and proliferated by so many disparate and at times paradoxical identities, can engage with one another over issues that matter, and argue, stumble and persist towards meaningful change.


Bridging communities and creating knowledge – DPU student receives UCL award for engagement project
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That's artwank deluxe!
 
discobastard said:
That's a fair point Gramsci. I am not attacking you or defending the council here. I'm trying to be balanced, in that there is unlikley to be anybody in the council who actively wishes to fuck over the historical local population. But they are possibly doing so.

If you want me to be clearer about it, I think the new logo on the bridge is a load of wank and they could have made a statement celebrating Windrush. I would have loved that (just as an example off the top of my head). I don't think anybody is anti the local population but there are systemic issues that people in those jobs have to work towards. So the system is to blame and not the individuals (in a lot of cases anyway).

I work in the world of comms and research, and lots of these people have no idea what they're doing. In councils and corporates you have diffusion of responsibility. Like I say, things end up getting blanded to fuck because of rules and regulations and brand guidelines. Changing things is like turning round a supertanker. Also, people in these roles move on and projects get shelved and forgotten about. Which means things are messy and bland.

I'm not trolling you or suggesting that 'it's that way things are, what can you do?', but just trying to add some context to things.
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This reads to me as saying that's the way things are and what can you do
 
I was interested to see ..
"London’s biggest affordable workspace now open in Brixton

International House, formerly Lambeth Council offices by Brixton Police Station, has re-opened as London’s largest affordable workspace"

Given the apparent scale of it, I do wonder what this might mean for other sites around the town centre in that same startup/incubator game. I presume more local employment is a good thing though we don't even have a job centre now and nationally the country is effectively at full employment. Did cause me to think about the site's potential for housing - conversion costs would be high, office space isn't popular as a temp housing solution .. any thoughts?

Love Lambeth
 
The Fornicator said:
I was interested to see ..
"London’s biggest affordable workspace now open in Brixton

International House, formerly Lambeth Council offices by Brixton Police Station, has re-opened as London’s largest affordable workspace"

Given the apparent scale of it, I do wonder what this might mean for other sites around the town centre in that same startup/incubator game. I presume more local employment is a good thing though we don't even have a job centre now and nationally the country is effectively at full employment. Did cause me to think about the site's potential for housing - conversion costs would be high, office space isn't popular as a temp housing solution .. any thoughts?

Love Lambeth
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It's got HUBS! Hooray for hubs!
 
editor said:
Where did I say anyone was "rolling in money"? Nowhere, is where. You've just fabricated that 'fact' to try and construct some made-up argument. And, boy, is it tedious.

But the point is, compared to the majority of people living in close proximity to the bridge - and those who the design is supposed to represent in some form - any kind of degree - let alone an architectural degree - is seen as something that is far beyond their grasp and aspirations. It's about privilege and opportunity, and that's in precious short supply for people struggling to pay the everyday bills in Brixton.
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I think in saying this you are insulting people on lower incomes who have worked very hard to achieve degrees. And beyond.

I don’t think you actually know what your point is.

Obviously you quoted selectively and ignored my question about how one can help people get involved, degree or not.

It seems to be that you are more interested in railing against people you think you disagree with (right wing trolls anyone?)

Anger and invective rather than debate and solutions. Carry on then.
 
discobastard said:
I think in saying this you are insulting people on lower incomes who have worked very hard to achieve degrees. And beyond.

I don’t think you actually know what your point is.

Obviously you quoted selectively and ignored my question about how one can help people get involved, degree or not.

It seems to be that you are more interested in railing against people you think you disagree with (right wing trolls anyone?)

Anger and invective rather than debate and solutions. Carry on then.
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If you want people to get involved, you make the effort to engage them. Put up posters on the estates, local schools, libraries etc, and make the entry format easy to understand and accessible to as many people as possible. It's really not that hard.

I was talking to some of my neighbours yesterday about the artwork. None of them even knew that a competition had taken place.
 
The Fornicator said:
Did cause me to think about the site's potential for housing - conversion costs would be high, office space isn't popular as a temp housing solution .. any thoughts?

Love Lambeth
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The move for International House to become yet another creative hub represents a major U-turn for the Progress Cabinet. It was originally set to become housing when plans for Your Nu Town Hall started to develop.

A Council report back in 2014 ruled out International House as not being suitable to become a creative hub. The report even went as far as saying:

“The creative industries tend to prefer quirky space with character rather than open plan space.”

And now we have... an open plan space for the creative industries.

Funding this temporary five year plan for the building also skews some of the financial claims being made by the Progress Cabinet about Your Nu Town Hall.

The spin all along has been that by flogging on twelve buildings and keeping two, Your Nu Town Hall would pay for itself. But International House isn't being sold. This must leave a hole in the finances for Your Nu Town Hall.

The Council spent £763,000 refurbishing the building in 2015. This was a stop gap move to allow staff to move into International House whilst Your Nu Town Hall was being tarted up.

As we have reported on Buzz:

"The ownership of International House is complicated. Lambeth Council owns the freehold. An unnamed company did have a 109-year peppercorn lease. Under a separate under lease it was the responsibility of the Council to manage and repair International House.

Back in 2014 the Council tried to take back control of the lease by buying the head-lease. No mention of the cost of this has been declared. The Council viewed it as “commercially sensitive.”
 
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