This weekend, Friday 3, Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 September, the Creative Mile takes place in Brentford, an artist-led celebration of what the area offers and showcase the array of artistic talent that lives and works in this part of west London.
The Creative Mile is led by locally based artists with the support of Creative Enterprise Zone funding and co-chaired by Brentford-based artist Mr Mr Pearce and Robin Vaughan-Williams of Creative Network West and is focused on the Brentford Art Trail, a sign-posted one-mile pedestrian route that connects 8 art venues exhibiting over 50 artists including painters, ceramicists, printmakers, and sculptors.
As it meanders alongside The Thames, the Creative Mile not only offers visitors inspiration (and the opportunity to make a shrewd acquisition), but also affords them a rare glimpse of Brentford’s industrial past as well as a snapshot of today’s vibrant, creative riverside community.
Mr Mr Pearce says, “Brentford has a great creative community, which many people are unaware of. This event will give artists working in the area a chance to showcase their work to a wider audience and has the potential to become an annual event that will grow year by year.”
Brentford photographer and head of marketing for Creative Mile, Gwen Shabka, also sees great potential: “Our proximity to three waterways (The Thames, The Brent and the Grand Union Canal) and our privileged access to an industrial waterway infrastructure that is still largely intact, all has a way of uniquely influencing out work.”
The trail (details below) starts at the Museum of Water and Steam and ends at the creative hub of The Brentford Project on Catherine Wheel Road. This development is an 11.8-acre regeneration project by Ballymore that aims to revitalise this waterside destination by reconnecting the high street and waterfront with 876 new homes alongside an extensive, thriving mix of dining, entertaining and shopping amenities, and public spaces.
The Brentford Project
Dotted with studios and boutique businesses, Catherine Wheel Road is home to Ballymore’s vast industrial events space which will be featuring work by artists from Redlees Studio, and The Lôft art studio, where Mr Mr Pearce hosts rotating artist residencies. Meanwhile The Duke of London, a massive warehouse and classic car hub, will feature exhibitions by two local photographers, Gwen Shabka and Jam, with the upper level featuring an exhibition of highly-textured abstract paintings by local artist Sam Carroll.
The Brentford Project is uniquely situated at the water’s edge and is an 11.8-acre regeneration project by Ballymore that aims to revitalise this waterside destination by reconnecting the high street and waterfront with 876 new homes alongside an extensive, thriving mix of dining, entertaining and shopping amenities, and public spaces.
In addition, Catherine Wheel Road itself will feature outdoor work by former Scritti Politti’s, Tom Morley, who is showcasing his delightful Chalked Car. At the top of the road, Creative People and Place Hounslow will be featuring work from the exhibition “Future Visions’, curated by members of the local community, the exhibition highlights the positive impact art can have on well-being and in reinvigorating our town centres. At the opposite end of the road near the water’s edge, there is a delightful display of artist Sue Cooper’s life-sized caricature figures cooling off in a paddling pool adjacent to the waterside café and restaurant, Rye of Water, who will have delicious food and baked goods on offer, and The Brewery Tap, a long-standing music venue and pub.
Find out more at www.thebrentfordproject.com.
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The Trail
This event is taking place from 6.00pm to 9.00pm on Friday 3 September and from 11.00am to 5.00pm on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 September.
The Creative Mile begins at the Museum of Water and Steam, the former Kew Pumping Station, which previously provided 70% of London’s water supply. This fascinating building – well worth visiting in its own right – now houses artist studios in the former workshops.
Next up is the Musical Museum. Offering free entry all weekend, the museum has an exciting line up of live music and is also featuring an exhibition of work by local photographer and Brentford history enthusiast, Karen Reader. Visitors can also enjoy the museum’s eclectic collection of self-playing musical instruments.
Swooping down through a relaxing riverside greenspace, the trail now winds its way to Watermans. This famous local landmark, launched in 1984 with a performance by Beatles collaborator and musical inspiration, Ravi Shankar, now runs an extensive program of participative arts events, and as part of the Creative Mile will be hosting Mark Farid’s exhibition, ‘Seeing I’ in its main gallery, as well as a pop-up exhibition in Studio Flox, located at the opposite end of the building in Waterman’s Park.
Tom Morley Chalked Car
Heading back down to the waterside, the trail takes in Simon Packard’s imposing steel sculpture, ‘Liquidity,’ as it makes its way along the delightful riverside promenade that leads to one of the UK’s oldest, and West London’s biggest, working boatyards. Dating from the mid-1800s and currently managed by MSO Marine, the site was formerly a key trading trans-shipment junction linking to the Grand Union Canal and the Great Western Railway. Today it offers an atmospheric insight into Brentford’s vital role in London’s industrial past.
Following a brief detour back up to high street and down again (where you can make a mental note of which of Brentford’s many characterful (and character-filled) pubs to visit later), the trail winds over a footbridge that crosses Thames Lock before arriving at Johnson’s Island, where there is a gallery, and a variety of studios which will throwing open their doors and welcoming visitors.
The last stop on this artistic ramble is The Brentford Project on Catherine Wheel Road, the vibrant creative hub that has organically taken over undeveloped industrial spaces. A key site for viewing art that will feature the work of over 40 artists.
Find out more at www.creativemile.org