Shop Art Project

Investigation on social change of Lewisham, transforming the high street in a contemporary art gallery.

SHOP ART is a project of URBAN STAGING

The project was to create an open-air exhibition on the road connecting Lewisham centre to New Cross.

Loampit Hill/Loampit Vale/ Lewisham Way connect Lewisham Town Centre to New Cross, crossing Lewisham town centre and the conservation area of Brockley. Many shops of the high street were affected before by the economic downturn of the 2009 and after damaged by the rise of the rent, due the new building developments in proximity of the DLR and Railway station. New Cross and Brockley, instead, are characterised by a huge community of art students and art organisations, due the presence of the Goldsmiths University, one of the most renowned University of Art and Design of London.

The idea was to exhibit the work of the selected local artists in the windows and ideally on the facades of the high street’s shops, and at the same time via video interviews giving a voice to the traders and the community.

The project was supposed to involve the University Goldsmiths, the Lewisham College – that are on the way – two major developers that were contributing to the regeneration projects and the Municipality of Lewisham.