Attic Self Storage of London Launches UK's First Interactive Street Art Space

Attic Self Storage, an English operator with two facilities in the Greater London Area, is partnering with two local art schools to launch Market Road Gallery, a bookable, outdoor, interactive art space at the storage operator’s King’s Cross location. The collaborative effort includes University of Arts London (UAL) and Central Saint Martins, a public tertiary art school and UAL constituent college. Launched last week, the project is the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, according to the source.

The project involves use of a 213-foot “canvas” on the back wall of the storage property at 270-276 York Way, where it connects with Market Road. Artists can reserve one of seven available spaces on the wall by clicking “Let Me Paint” at marketroadgallery.org. The first artists to reserve space will also have access to free painting materials, the source reported.

Once the spaces are painted, community members can vote on whether each piece should remain on the wall or be painted over. They can submit suggestions or feedback through the website’s “Let Me Speak” button.

“This project has emerged through learning from 15 years [of] groundbreaking research, working with local authorities and crime-prevention units across the world to assess the impact of street art in the built environment. It is designed to bring communities into dialogue and to enable as yet undiscovered voices to be clearly heard, singularly and collectively,” said Lorraine Gamman, a UAL professor and director of the university’s Design Against Crime Research Centre.

The reception area of the King’s Cross Attic Self Storage facility also contains an exhibit featuring 50 pieces created by artists of Artbox London, a nonprofit supporting people with learning disabilities. The operator hosted an exhibit in April, and then decided to keep the art on display permanently.

Founded in 2006, Attic Self Storage operates a second facility in Bow, a district in London’s East End.