Make Art Everywhere: Serena Swanson on making art in a disused office building
- Written byStudent Communications
- Published date 04 December 2023
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Toilet installations, carpet cutouts and shredded paper are just some of the things you find in Serena’s disused office building turned open-plan studio by Bow Arts, which she shares with other artists in Vauxhall.
“I've made art in quite a lot of different spaces. Because of the way that my practice operates, sometimes I don't really feel the need to be in a private rented space to make work,” Serena says.
“I have definitely made art in my bedroom and a lot of my work is digital as well. But I think what is cool about coming into these sorts of spaces is being able to test out the exhibition of work. And it's just inspiring to see ways in which other people work.”
Serena is a Fine Art graduate from Central Saint Martins (CSM) and splits her time between teaching students as a graduate teaching assistant at CSM and working in the fundraising department at the Tate. Her work is often centred around video and digital modelling, using accessible and attainable materials to create fantastical scenes that question societal norms and rules, including office culture. Recent works reflect on working practices and daydreaming in advanced capitalism.
“I don't really believe in the lone artist being the centre of everything. I believe in a back and forth, I believe in conversations, I believe in artworks that ask questions. I'm not very precious either with what my artwork should symbolise.”
“I really like to hear about what the audience thinks it is and use that to guide me in my making and research process. If I show someone something and they're like ‘actually, it's not doing what you think it is’, I think, okay, great. That's really useful for my practice and going to drive me onto something else.”
The benefit of an open-plan shared studio space is that artists can adapt it to a variety of practices. Some of Serena’s neighbours include painters, writers and fashion practitioners. Right next to Serena’s space you will currently find someone creating digital artwork and installations.
The building’s previous office floors aren’t the only spaces that are getting reused: One of the artists in the studio, Harriet Richardson, is currently presenting ‘The World’s Least Instagrammable Toilet Selfie’ in the toilet’s cubicles. It’s an installation made up of numerous scans of her body that she made using a photocopier on the last day of her job before she quit. It reflects on the different ways in which female bodies are censored or made to feel shameful online and offline.
Bow Arts was established in 1994 and has been occupying what Serena calls “in-between spaces”: these are usually buildings within London that are on sale, but used to be offices and owned by different companies before they were appropriated for artmaking.
“You can still see stamps and signs of some previous organisations that used to be here. But I don't think that is as important as the focus on what you can do with the space now.”
“I like to work with where I'm based. Because the space has got history to it already, there's remnants of people that used to inhabit it before, like furniture and old carpet squares and just random bits of fabric and materials that lend themselves nicely to the work I’m currently making.”
One of the installations Serena is working on uses carpet tiles she found in the space. The tiles are currently framing a video work for her to test out some still imagery as part of the piece.
“The installation is about trance states, which is why I've got a spiral configuration. Then I’ve got an old phone that will be hooked up via Bluetooth, so you’re able to pick it up and listen, while walking around and watching the video in the centre.”
Next to her are bags of shredded paper which Serena will use for a dance film set.
“I use this economy of means, accessible materials, to make my work because I believe that work doesn't need to use expensive and unattainable materials to exist.”
“I found these bags outside of an off license in Camberwell, and I just picked them up off the street because I really wanted authentic shredded paper. I've got them here now and I'll start using them in the space and testing it with the dancers and seeing how they can be used for a shredded paper office landscape.”
Besides being often used for group exhibitions, all artists in the studio space are contractually obliged to be part of open studios to allow the surrounding community in Vauxhall to see what they’ve been doing in the space.
“Recently at an open studios event, I had someone say they remember when this was an office space and it's cool to see how it's being used now. I really like that responsiveness. I think it's important to be embedded in the community that you're in.”
“It's nice to be able to let people in and know that they're allowed to see what's being done with these buildings. But it's hard, because you don't know how long you've got and you get 2-months' notice before you leave, which is good, but it's not a lot of time to find another space.”
Serena says one of the biggest challenges after graduating is to find space or the means to make work. A recent article in the Art Newspaper revealed that more than 100 artists were forced to vacate their studio spaces in a central location near Tower Bridge at the end of October – usually for the purpose of these spaces being redeveloped or demolished.
“We thought that this space was going to be sold and we were going to have to leave in January 2024. Thankfully, that sale has fallen through, and we should be able to stay for a bit longer.”
Make Art Everywhere
Serena Swanson on making art in a disused office building in Vauxhall