The Nomadic Studio : Art, Life and the Colonisation of Meanwhile Space

Abstract

The Nomadic Studio is an enquiry into the role of the artist studio within processes of re-development in cities today, and portrays the spirit of an artists’ commune working in temporary urban sites. Operating as case study, this photographic perspective encompasses a set of vignettes, reflections, facts and fantasies extracted from the lifeworld of a transitional artist led community in Bermondsey, South London and its 18 months in creative habitation of a complex of defunct council premises. In light of this narrative the publication also revisits the rarely told historical experience of autonomous artist spaces and their sociopolitical implications through a series of new texts and interviews with contributors Mike Nelson, Jonathan Harvey, Ron Henocq and Fran Cottell. Capturing the nature of such transient spatial interactions, The Nomadic Studio explores and highlights a vital cultural tradition of experimentation and freedom within the increasingly precarious urban zone and the extent to which these temporary artist-run spaces — despite their importance within contemporary culture and the city — are often forgotten.