Mare Street South

Date: 2019 - 2020

Hackney, London

Infusing strategic high-street improvement with the magic of the arts.

Additional drawings by Abby Bird and Cecily Chua

On the edge of Hackney lies Mare Street South (MSS) - a place of production, culture, craft - entrepreneurship, care and graft. It is home to England’s oldest Hospice and a revered artist community. It reflects London in its diversity and charm.

The people here love this place. They’re wedded to its mismatch and seduced by its variety; but most people beyond the immediate community do not know it exists. They pass through it on the way to some other busy spot. They throw cursory glances from the top deck of a bus whilst crossing boroughs. They check for traffic, whilst cycling between parks.

But sometimes they stop, parched and in need of a coffee, curious and in need of inspiring. Attracted by the steamy windows of a neighbourhood bar, allured by jumble sale bargains, or stunned by the cinematic charm of a street. And when they stop, they notice what we already know to be true... that it is rich and full of delight.

The community of Mare Street South and have mobilised because they want to see a change to the previous pattern of patchwork, piecemeal development that has historically blighted the area and JA projects has worked alongside a collection of independent community organisations and the London borough of Hackney, to formalise a local working group and generate a radical vision of infusing practical and innovative high-street improvement with the magic of the arts.

At the centre of Mare Street South lies Beck Road, a seemingly normal terraced street of 19th century workers cottages, cut in half by an overground rail line. But it has a history that belies its appearance, and has been a haven for artists since the 1970s. It is a seminal street in art folklore which has been home to well-known British artists such as Edward Woodman and the late Helen Chadwick.

In keeping with local performative and artistic practice, we have helped to facilitate the production of a number of events which have been designed to foster collaboration, build local resilience, enable long-term stewardship and prefigure the environment - to imagine beforehand what the future might be like.

The MSS Family Day took advantage of local half-marathon street closures to create a cheer station and informal playstreet; By Beck 19, reimagined London’s famous Open House by offering a 19-hour exhibition featuring 42 significant artists in homes, studios and the road itself.

Alongside city researchers and thinkers Theatrum Mundi and local institution Diddy’s, we produced a pamphlet which sort to uncover what sustains Mare Street South as a rich hotbed of cultural production. Our research asks, if cultural display is what happens onstage, what is the urban backstage - where production, experimentation, and rehearsal take place - and how can the backstage of the city be expanded in order to increase its capacity for the production of new cultural forms?

It’s a question that was discussed at a “Shared Table” session which provided a moment for makers, artists and users of “Backstage” infrastructures across London to unite around ideas for sustaining their work and share stories and strategies to ensure artistic culture in the city endures.

In total, over 5,200 people have attended these events which celebrate existing heritage and broaden access to culture by sharing it with the wider neighbourhood.

The series of mini-projects have led to the generation of four key strategic ambitions that accommodate the interests of various parties and align community aspirations with those of local government and further funding streams: Encourage holistic development; Empower the future community; Make art inclusive; Improve the high street; Mitigate the environmental impact of traffic (including improving air quality).

Mare Street South is changing - the project is ongoing. Read our application for Good Growth Funding here. Read our collaborative research on Urban Backstages: Unincorporated Artists Unite here.