Hackney Wicked 09 - Interview

Hackney Wicked 09 - Interview

11 June, 2009
by: Tom Jeffreys

Last year's inaugural Hackney Wicked festival was, for me, one of the highlights of the year. Hearing of its return for a second installment I met up with some of the Directors to find out how they felt the first festival went and what plans they have this time around. I arrive at The Dolphin (late, as ever). With me are Simon Reuben White and Cherie Marie Veiderveld (aka Snoozie Hexagon) from Elevator Gallery, Joanna Hughes, Director of Mother Studios, artist Laura May Lewis and The Residence's Ingrid Z (who I actually interviewed last year, which is nice).

'Hackney Wicked went pretty well last year?' I suggest. 'Well it blew all of our minds,' Joanna replies. 'It was so much bigger than we expected. On the Friday night when we had the opening there were artists wandering the streets for hours and hours. There were parties going on in various galleries, as well as the official party at The Residence. People carried on 'til the wee hours…' Simon agrees: 'Often the Wick can feel quite dead, but there were people all over the streets, and a kind of carnival atmosphere.'

Thanks to the success of Hackney Wicked the whole area has changed. According to Simon, 'there's now a real community feel. When you walk down the street you're bound to bump into somebody you know. It's quite tight-knit.' 'Even just in terms of the people on the bus coming into Hackney Wick,' Ingrid adds. 'Now you see that a lot of the people on the buses are artists. And the council estate across the street from me – I see artists living in there, which never happened before.'

But it's not all fun and games. Part of the Hackney Wicked is about showcasing the vibrancy of the area in order to prevent its destruction by the branded bulldozers of 2012. Joanna: 'we're hoping to slow down its impact through what we're doing. Hopefully through acting collectively, we have a voice, a bit of collateral, a bit of power. We hear that the councils are sympathetic, but it's a case of persuading the people with the money, the developers'. But in some ways 2012 may have a positive effect: Simon points out that 'due to the Olympics, people aren't quite sure what's going to happen to the area. But that in itself lends everything a kind of energy.'

So what kind of energy can we expect from this year's Hackney Wicked? Well, the three main galleries are all hosting exhibitions. Schwartz Gallery is hosting the multi-disciplinary Between my Finger and Thumb while Elevator Gallery showcases 'artists of the future now' in their exhibition The Tomorrow People. The Residence, characteristically, is injecting a dose of glamour in the form of the Wrecking Ball (Ingrid's response to the demolition of the Verger's Cottage in 2010). According to Ingrid, it'll be 'an interactive YouTube-driven installation. I'm going to get dancers from all around the world to submit their videos. These will then be projected against a gigantic wrecking ball.' Sounds pretty cool!

Look out also for the return of a local icon: Laura May Lewis' Hollywood-style Hackney Wick sign (pictured), brought back to life with the help of sponsorship from a variety of kind benefactors (including yours truly!). Expect to see exhibitions at Top and Tail Gallery, Stour Gallery and Mission Gallery as well as something called Fete for the Wicked, opened by an as-yet-to-be-confirmed 'celebrity artist'. Artists with stalls there include Mark McGowan, Simon Ould, Sarah Doyle and Josephine Sheen. Plus Ingrid will be auctioning off 100 of her unwanted possessions, redeveloped by selected artists. 

As Laura says 'there's just going to be so much going on!' Like a regatta, a barbeque, massive parties, a tongue-in-cheek take on Watercolour Challenge and the burning of a Wicker Man. Local artists will doubtless be getting up to all manner of different things. As Laura puts it, 'there's still a spontaneity here: artists just getting up on the day and doing something. That's very much part of the way the whole thing works.' In short, if you like art and parties, Hackney Wicked will be the best thing you'll do this summer.

Hackney Wicked takes place at various venues across Hackney Wick from 31st July - 2nd August 2009. Click here to see all the events associated with Hackney Wicked. Or visit the Hackney Wicked website for full details.

Click here to read Tom's review of Hackney Wicked 2008.
Click here to read Tom's interview with the organisers of Hackney Wicked 2008.

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Tom Jeffreys