With a new permanent project space at Riverlight
The Royal College of Art (RCA) has announced plans to open a new project space at Riverlight, a new development by St James in Nine Elms on the South Bank.
The introduction of a permanent project space will promote the cultural strategy for this development, which is located on the Thames riverside close to Battersea Power Station.
The cultural partnership between RCA and St James has been brokered and developed by cultural consultancy Futurecity.
The RCA Riverlight Project Space is to be run by the Royal College of Art, London’s leading postgraduate art and design institution.
The partnership will offer RCA students an opportunity to engage with a public audience and provide a test-bed for their ideas.
For local people it will be a new cultural space to explore and a window into an artist’s practice demonstrating how artwork develops and transforms over a period of time.
The RCA Riverlight Project Space will play a key role in animating Nine Elms on the South Bank, creating a new cultural district and drawing in the local community.
St James Group are supporting the RCA’s ambitions by providing a fully fitted and serviced retail unit rent free with an annual funding package for a five year period. The award winning artist and RCA Sculpture tutor, Kate Davi,s will manage the project space, providing a cohesive programme that focuses on current art practice and creative thinking relating to urban space and contemporary architecture.
Regular public talks, performances and readings will also be hosted.
Sean Ellis, Chairman of St James’ Group comments: “St James as a company always looks for new and innovative ways to support cultural initiatives in the districts we operate in.
“The Royal College of Art seemed the natural choice for Riverlight because of its strong presence in the area. We hope it gives new opportunities to emerging artists and we look forward to seeing the space enjoyed by visitors to the area and the local residents.”
Dr Paul Thompson, Rector of the Royal College of Art said: This partnership offers our young artists a fantastic public platform to develop new work – and new ways of working. It also helps cement our place in the Wandsworth creative firmament – one can almost draw a straight line from RCA Battersea through the Pump House Gallery to Riverlight.”
Mark Davy, Founder of Futurecity says: Futurecity are delighted to have created this significant cultural partnership, bringing together the very best that London has to offer in arts and culture in the form of The Royal College of Art with St James, one of Britain's leading design-conscious and sustainable housebuilders.
The RCA has an established worldwide reputation for innovation through art and design and an active presence within Wandsworth, with the School of Fine Art based in the Battersea campus, shortly to be joined by the School of Material. The RCA Riverlight Project Space will support Wandsworth’s cultural offer, building on the borough’s programme of arts and culture.
The RCA’s outreach and education programme ReachOutRCA has a track record in promoting creative practice to young people in London’s state schools in exciting and unusual ways. This initiative will feed into the RCA Riverlight Project Space programme, strengthening long-lasting collaborations between St James Group and Wandsworth based local schools and community groups.
The Riverlight development comprises 806 residential units across six pavilions designed by the iconic architects Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners over five acres of land. On the 2nd July 2013, it became the first river-fronting residential scheme to top out in Nine Elms. The scheme encompasses a range of accommodation options from suites to three bedroom apartment and penthouses.
October 22, 2013