East End Review

Tag: Anna Maloney

  • Discover a ‘creative labyrinth’ at Hackney WickED DIY Open Studios

    Discover a ‘creative labyrinth’ at Hackney WickED DIY Open Studios

    Hackney WickEd Open Studios
    A visitor perusing the work of freelance sculptor Wilfrid Wood at Hackney WickED’s open studios. Photograph: Anna Maloney

    Hundreds of artists are to throw open the doors of their studios this month for the annual Hackney WickED DIY Open Studios event.

    Members of the public are invited to explore the “labyrinth of creative spaces” in what is famously the world’s most densely-populated area of artists during the last weekend of July.

    The annual event allows the public to view art in the environment in which it was made as well as providing the chance to meet and talk with local artists.

    The launch party on the evening of Friday 29 July explores subversive culture, with an opportunity to get ‘greased up’ at Mick’s Garage in Queen’s Yard, with live art performances from the likes of Strontium 92, Stray Transmission and the London Sound Painting Orchestra.

    Through the weekend, artists across 20 buildings will be displaying their wares, and there will be immersive live art performances taking place spontaneously across Hackney Wick and Fish Island.

    Hackney WickED 2013 eleonore de bonneval
    L-R: Artists Megan Broadmeadow, Victoria Myatt, Matthew Faulkner, Jamie Shaw, Bernadette Ehl at Hackney WickED 2013. Photograph: Eleonore de Bonneval

    Artists’ studios in Hackney Wick such as those on Wallis Road have come under threat in recent years, so the ethos of the Open Studios event is “let’s enjoy it while we can”.

    Hackney WickED director Anna Maloney told the Hackney Citizen last year that “change is the only certain thing, so we want people to come to the area, see the art, check out the boundless talent and enjoy what we have”.

    Site maps will be available for collection at Mick’s Garage in Queen’s Yard.

    HackneyWickEd Open Studios, 29–31 July

  • Hackney WickED art festival is cancelled

    Hackney Wicked 620
    Cancelled: Hackney WickED. Photograph: eatingeast via flickr

    Art festival Hackney WickED has announced it will not be going ahead this year due to “ever-increasing” production costs.

    The annual festival, which has been running since 2008, is taking the year off to “re-evaluate and adapt to the changing nature of Hackney Wick”, and will instead be curating a programme of smaller events.

    In a statement, the festival organisers said: “The festival faces ever-increasing production costs that are necessary to manage the event in line with requests from authorities and our own desire to present a safe, professional event.

    “Thousands of pounds have previously been spent on waste disposal, security, street cleaning and the general infrastructure required to manage the 30,000 plus crowds that attend the festival each year.

    “Hackney WickED greatly appreciates the sponsorship and funding received to date. However, the festival still has to rely heavily on in-kind support from suppliers, the management team and a volunteer network – and this is no longer sustainable for an event of this scale.”

    Anna Maloney, one of Hackney WickED’s six directors, told the East End Review earlier this year that “for Hackney Wicked and other local organisations the police and council have made it quite difficult for us to put things on.

    “[This] has actually created the expense because they made us responsible for the security of the whole of Hackney Wick and Fish Island.”

    All is not lost, however, as Hackney WickED now aims to evolve as an organisation by supporting local artists and creating more art events across London and beyond.

    It has also been awarded Arts Council funding to conduct research to measure the value of Hackney WickED to the wider community, which will help map out the way forward.

    Hackney WickED was formed by artists living in Hackney Wick as a “defiant uprising” in the face of the London Olympics.

    Since 2008, it has promoted creativity in Hackney Wick and provided a platform for local artists to showcase their work.