Announcing the Bower, a communal, non-profit art space

The Bower is a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, which will transform the currently derelict former public toilet in Brunswick Park into a non-profit, communal art space called The Bower. Louise and Joyce are collaborating with Hiroshima-based architects Claire and Kazuya Nakamoto on the interior designs of the building.

The Bower will host a series of exhibitions and events and produce books with artists and writers by Publication Studio London on site. The programme will have a socially engaged approach and respond to the context of this unique property and its locality. In addition to this, The Bower will provide a much needed cafe service to the park, serving freshly made coffee, tea and refreshments, all from local suppliers.

The Bower takes its name from the definitions: A pleasant shady place under trees or climbing plants in a garden or wood, a woman’s private room, an attractive dwelling or retreat.

The Bower is relying on contributions, however small, to help them realise this project and turn the building into a multi-functional art space for the whole community: thebower.org.uk/support/ .

 

More information about the team:

Joyce is an experienced gallery manager and organiser of exhibitions and events, having worked over the last 15 years with  galleries and art organisations such as Matt’s Gallery, Studio Voltaire and Afterall.

Louisa runs Luminous Books and Publication Studio, London. As Luminous Books, she has been hosted by Unit/Pitt Projects (Vancouver), University of the Arts London, The London Centre for Book Arts and Raven Row. Publication Studio helps artists and writers reach a broad public through a network of international studios, printing books on demand using affordable materials.

We began collaborating in 2013 and 2014 consecutively, when Louisa brought her curated bookshop Luminous Books to Afterall at Central Saint Martins, where Joyce organised exhibitions of artworks by Rodney Graham (2013) and Martha Rosler (2014). In 2015, we set up Finishing Touch, a pop-up project based in a former barber shop where we programmed a series of events, screenings and performances; creating gatherings to share and exchange knowledge. In 2016 we won the Artquest Workweek prize during the Art Licks weekend for bringing ‘The Little Book of Answers’ by Laura Malacart and a recital of Monica Ross’s ‘Act of Memory’ to Brixton Market.

 

(Note: The inclusion of events and projects in the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation’s “news section” of the website does not amount to an endorsement.)