Hilary Payne, SE5 Forum (2) 12.04.13 a CASE for an ARTS CENTRE, CINEMA and VILLAGE HALL for CAMBERWELL
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Hilary Payne, SE5 Forum (2) 12.04.13 A CASE for an ARTS CENTRE, CINEMA and VILLAGE HALL for CAMBERWELL In living memory there were four major cinemas and eight significant music hall venues in the SE5 area. Over the last 50 years this has dwindled to just one which is currently occupied by an evangelical church. This was the Regal Cinema (later ABC) on the corner of Camberwell Road and Medlar Street, which is the last original purpose-built cinema building remaining in the entire borough of Southwark. The Camberwell area is without a potential cinema for the first time in over 100 years. In the post-war period, South-East London cinema/theatre buildings have been decimated to the point of extinction – where once there was an abundance of some truly amazing examples of architecture that residents could still enjoy as recently as the late 1980’s. This part of Inner London is currently well below the capital average for local cinemas which have all been displaced by multiplex facilities in retail parks. There are two in Southwark – the first in Surrey Quays, the other in Peckham. However, the long-term future of the latter is debatable considering it is housed in a 1970’s Brutalist concrete car park. Due to the deterioration of this structure the council has already stated that it is perhaps considering the site for future redevelopment, despite the popularity of the annual Frank’s Campari Bar & Bold Tendencies sculpture gallery on the upper levels. Facilities such as these are being dismantled all over London - the recent removal of Popes Road car park in Brixton is a good example of this trend. There is a very real argument that multiplex facilities in retails parks don’t offer a sense of place or the regenerative qualities from a business, environmental and, more importantly, social point of view that a multi-use arts centre within an original listed building which is based at the heart of a community would provide. Contrast this with our neighbouring borough of Lambeth who have three cinemas - Brixton Ritzy, Clapham Picture House and Odeon Streatham. All have a prominent position at the centre of their respective high streets and act as a major conduit for the local economy and communities that they serve. In view of this we would look to Southwark Council to consider taking on the role of agent/intermediary to seek out appropriate sites that would serve Camberwell as a community arts centre/cinema/village hall. We would look for a space that would act as a strong civic hub to enhance the reputation of Camberwell as an artistic and creative centre. This would provide an opportunity to create a range of options which would open up routes into education and employment in our socially disadvantaged area. We are liaising with companies and groups whose business it is to run a cinema/arts centre and make it a viable and sustainable option which includes investigating all the credible funding options available which have enabled similar proposals to become a reality. The new Camberwell library is a welcome addition to the area but we are aware that its design and size will not allow for future enhancement to provide space for a viable arts centre/hub and cannot perform a similar function to the Canada Water library building which has been hugely successful since its opening. Three Major Benefits of Community Arts Centre 1. The provision of an outlet for enjoyment and participation to enhance social wellbeing in an area which is in clear need of a strong civic heart and focal point. 2. The opening up of routes into arts education. Camberwell is at the centre of arts education. We have our very own College and we are a short bus ride away from Chelsea, Goldsmiths & London College of Communication. These institutions are out of reach for many of our young people who show a healthy enthusiasm and interest in creative expression and the performing arts. The South London Gallery has been at the forefront of innovative community arts programmes and a Camberwell arts centre/village hall would only enhance and strengthen links into the local community. 3. Provision of an introduction to potential employment routes into the distributive trades which revolve around the arts and cultural sector. All of this could be achieved through: ● Film Making Club – Video recording equipment and computer editing suites – these would be available to all community, youth and school groups and could be hired privately in down time to help make the venue sustainable. ● Music Production – Recording facilities for the creation and production of music. As before, this would be for the benefit of all community, youth and school groups. As with the film making club, in down time – when the building is closed to the public we could hire these facilities privately to recording artists to help make the venue sustainable. A record company and music charity would be more than willing to offer advice on this idea. The local area has an abundance of creative people with the contacts necessary to investigate how this could be achieved. ● Theatre Production - Southwark has many theatre groups – Blue Elephant, Southwark Playhouse, Theatre Peckham, and Union Street Theatre – who would benefit from the use the building for performances. There is scope for collaboration with the Young Vic Theatre and National Theatre who like the South London Gallery, run innovative community outreach programs throughout the year. This initiative could provide benefits to our neighbouring communities – particularly Peckham and Walworth, as well as to our neighbouring borough of Lambeth. Since the 2010 general election, both local authorities are in a position to further cross border working and they are once again under the leadership of the Labour Party. The recent restoration of Camberwell Leisure Centre and the re-landscaping of Burgess Park have been welcome initiatives. We feel that a community arts centre - one minute walk from the revitalised green - would be a superb addition to the area and create a formidable triumvirate to ensure the progress of Camberwell for many years to come. Recent Examples of Cultural Events that would have benefitted from an arts centre/ cinema/ village hall: Camberwell Arts Festival provides an annual arts platform which reflects the local demographic as well as Southwark in general. In February, the first Palace of Varieties evening was wildly successful and provided a link between contemporary Camberwell and its rich music hall history as well as a pointer to the future. The recent inaugural Camberwell Free Film Festival 2013 which ran from 14-24th March was a huge success. It demonstrated a clear appetite and potential for a cinema facility in SE5. 90% of the venues were full to capacity and people had to be turned away. A rough estimate was 1750-2000 film lovers participated in 15 events at 14 venues which included 14 short London films, 12 feature films, 5 documentaries, 4 DJs, 3 double bills, 3 poets, 1 band and 1 quiz over the course of 11 days. A further statistic is...during the 11 days of the festival the website had 9,607 unique visitors who between them looked at 33,224 pages! – The Facebook site has 1017 followers and Twitter almost 400. It attracted a healthy number of visitors from other parts of London in particular North/East London who made excellent use of the recently opened London Overground to Denmark Hill tagged the ‘Arts Line’ which links renowned arts institutions - Battersea Arts Centre, Goldsmiths College, Hackney Empire, Shoreditch Rich Mix, South London Gallery, Whitechapel Gallery - north and south of the river on one coherent scheduled service. Camberwell’s time has come. We feel that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Camberwell is a major crossroad at the heart of the borough and it would make perfect sense to locate an arts centre here. Camberwell boasts an enviable network of bus routes serving all of London. Sustainable transport via bike, bus, train and walking routes are in place and improving all the time and provide a better business, environmental and most importantly social situation for current and future generations in the area to enjoy. Victor Ferreiro – Cinema for Camberwell Green/Village Hall 2009-2013 10 Herschell Mews, Cambria Road, Camberwell SE5 9AT 02077335258 (H) 07763376304 (M) [email protected] .