On the 18th of March Test Space will be opening our new permanent space at Melbourne Street Studios in the centre of Leeds with our Sampler weekend of exhibitions, live music and pop up cafe. Previously we’ve run pop up kitchens, rapid exhibitions and cross city showdowns in venues including Crash Records, Noise Lab, Birds Yard and Temple Works in both Leeds and Manchester. We took over the new space in early February turning it into an event space, exhibition space, artist studios and office space for emerging creative talent in Leeds.
The new Test Space hub has been six months in planning, developing and securing the space. Well actually it’s been more like three or four years of discussing the idea with Steve Hawkins, the other half of Test Space and getting to the point of the first stages of curating a permanent space.
The inspiration for the hub is established UK spaces such as Bloc Studios, Islington Mill, the Custard Factory and the Biscuit Factory. We’ve also looked further afield including Showpaper Gallery in New York, the Silent Barn in Brooklyn and Giant Robot in LA and a whole host of other DIY venues and galleries. The aim is not to replicate these spaces rather to create a unique space that showcases some of the most interesting creative talent in Leeds in a stimulating cross platform, creative environment; be that artists, designers, musicians or businesses.
The aim is to make the hub an active working space seven days a week. This will mean offices, studios and workspace upstairs during the daytime, photshoots and rapid exhibitions downstairs during the week, at the weekend the hub will host impromptu gigs by local bands, pop up shops selling everyrhing from craft supplies to punk ‘zine and a pop up café. Currently renting space are Tom Martin, NME photographer and ex-Vibrations picture editor, Brew Records and music PR company I Like Press. This week alone will see the space used for film shoots, band interviews, photography shoots, exhibitions and gigs.
Crucially the hub will offer a platform for mid-level and emerging creatives to rent space, play or test ideas. Something Leeds has lacked for a long time, there is a natural crossover of people working together in a space like the Test Space hub, new ideas are developed, contacts are made and low cost creative space allows people to get established.
Hopefully the space will act as a catalyst, alongside other spaces such as Enjoy, East Street Arts, Factory4 and MAP for more independent, distinctive creative spaces in Leeds.
On the Friday 18th of March at 6pm we will officially be launching the space with Test Space: Sampler; a weekend of rapid exhibitions, art market, live music and pop up café. Artists showing work over that weekend include Joy Gilleard, Martin Jessop, Matt Ferres, Andrew Corlett, Hannah Jones, Lord Whitney, Kayleigh Morris, Joe Whitney, Alice Bradshaw and Stephen Langdon. There will also be a programme of secret gigs and acoustic sets from a host of Leeds bands all selected by Tom Martin.
Forthcoming events after that include a series of weekend Flash exhibitions by artists from Leeds Metropolitan University, the first Paper Girl Leeds exhibition (a fantastic concept from Berlin that sees artwork from Leeds distributed around the city by paper boys and girls), workshops by the Krafty Sluts. In April Test Space will be hosting a Test Space: VHS, a pop up cinema event.
After a long few weeks setting up it looks to be an exciting few months ahead.
Test Space: Sampler opens 6pm Friday 18th March and runs until Sunday. Studio, office and event space is available to rent now. Visit www.testspaceleeds.com for more information.
This is a fantastic addition to the artistic community of the old ‘Leylands’ area of Leeds and it feels as if we are at last beginning to hit that elusive goal of ‘critical mass’ that we have long been waiting for…, well I have anyway!
Sheffield for a long time has managed to maintain high levels of studio occupation around a relatively small area, in the likes of Bloc, Persistance Works and S1, with new initiatives popping up all the time, with I would guess upwards of 200 artists in just that small area. We always hoped that Patrick Studios would play a role in attracting more creatives to stay in Leeds but never imagined it would happen on our own doorstep!
Neil mentions the organisations close by, but also a little further is Leeds City College Thomas Danby, with their arts and media dept keen to also get more actively involved, UNION 105 a short step further on Chapeltown Rd and Future Arts also being based at the bottom of the Headrow… oh and of course lets not forget The Reliance and North Bar showcasing artists work on a regular basis!
Exciting time are ahead, I think, with the psychological barrier of the A64 ring road protecting us from the immediate threat of developers, the Leylands/Mabgate providing ample cheap space to utilise for creativity!
Great stuff Neil and co. we look forward to seeing you over the weekend.
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