Signals & Stats

Somerset House studios

By Rhiannon McGregor 21 : 10 : 2016 The Learning Economy : London : Somerset House

London – Somerset House is tackling the lack of affordable workspaces in the capital by opening subsidised creative studio spaces.

Somerset House Studios will provide 35 shared and private studios
The Studios will acquire creative control of the European co-working space Makerveristy

Charles Jeffrey, Somerset House Studios, Image by Dan Wilton

Vault, Somerset House Studios, Image by Luke Walker

Werkflow desk, Somerset House Studios, Image by Dan Wilton

LoneLady, Somerset House Studios, Image by Dan Wilton

As rising rents and housing developers continue to threaten the cultural fabric of London, Somerset House is looking to combat the ‘accelerating exodus of artists’ by creating experimental workspaces that will provide residency for about 100 artists.

Residents in the building’s New Wing will focus on cross-disciplinary work, with a range of visual artists, musicians, performance artists, dancers and live artists, fashion designers, film-makers and artists working with technology all able to apply.

Jonathan Reekie, director of Somerset House, explained that the idea for the spaces came from a desire to provide modern spaces that could be adapted to contemporary working practices. ‘We will be making a new kind of space,’ Reekie told Creative Boom, ‘[for] today’s artists, who are thinking and working in very different ways across artistic disciplines.’

The Big Picture

As arts funding in education continues to be slashed, brands are stepping in to facilitate the discussions and provide the practical spaces needed to promote cultural innovation. See our macrotrend The Learning Economy for more.