NOW OPEN / THE LOOK UP GALLERY

That's right folks... we've just opened our first Look Up gallery! For the next six months we'll be based here at Central Parade – a fantastic creative hub just minutes from Walthamstow Central tube. And with lots of wall space it's providing the perfect opportunity to showcase limited edition prints by all of the artists involved in our fledgling project.

Seeing prints in the flesh is a must. The colours are more vivid and true, while the textures and nuances of layered inks are clearer and far more inviting to the eye… Having a dedicated gallery space allows us to showcase prints by every artist on our roster – in fact we're able to present every single print currently in stock. So if it's on the website, you'll find it down here at Central Parade.

Gallery view featuring work by Bonnie Craig, Sophie Smallhorn, William Luz, Frea Buckler, Kate Gibb, and two brand new editions by Rob Lowe, aka Supermundane

You'll also find a selection of brand new products created by Look Up, inspired by our aesthetic focus and the work of our artists. There's our collection of enamel pin badges, or Pin Ups, which sell for £7 a pop and are guaranteed to bring a blast of geometry and colour to your favourite denim jacket or satchel. We're selling our classic Look Up blue tote bags, and the Fibonacci–inspired tote produced to celebrate 'Fractions / adventures in printmaking' – our E17 Art Trail exhibition at Buhler and Co. We've also launched our very own range of risograph greetings cards – designed by Look Up and printed by the lovely people at Rope Press, an artist–led project in Birmingham.

Gallery view featuring prints by Josie Molloy, Touching Elbows, Chris James, Katy Binks, Nounua, Fiona Grady, and Giuseppe D'Innella

Central Parade E17 is a great story in itself. It doesn't seem long since it was home to abandoned council offices, but that was before Meanwhile Space got their hands on it. A pioneering social enterprise at the forefront of ‘meanwhile uses’, Meanwhile Space CIC designs innovative Meanwhile® solutions – the "intelligent use of unproductive empty buildings and underused land" – transforming vacant commercial space into opportunities that are of huge benefit to the local community.

Our new collections of enamel pin badges – Pin Ups – and risograph greetings cards

Central Parade ticks all the right boxes, with co–working areas, affordable workspace (from desks to small studios) and retail units showcasing independent businesses, which includes: Birch & Star – specialising in "pre–loved women's, kids' and maternity wear"; Racer Rosa – where high–spec bikes are made to measure (with a workshop for repairs); and Today Bread – a sourdough bakery and cafe. On one side of Today Bread you'll find four 'incubator' retail spaces, which are available to small businesses for six months at a time. We applied for a spot, they said yes (yes!!) and we landed Incubator 4, a light–filled space opposite the main entrance.

We're also showcasing prints and products in the Look Up cabinet of dreams... 

We're delighted to be sharing this experience for the next six months with: Paula Siqueira Photography – specialising in natural spontaneous family photography; local artist and illustrator Emma Scutt; and Bloom of the Block – who "focus on colour, texture and form when designing floral displays or curating selections of plants to enhance your home, event or wedding". You can find out more about the businesses based at Central Parade E17 by clicking here.

Our first collection of Pin Ups – enamel pin badges inspired by our aesthetic focus and the work of our featured artists

Our Look Up Gallery will be open here for the next six months (closing mid–January 2018), during which time we'll also be hosting a programme of talks and workshops – please sign up to our mailing list here or stay tuned to our Instagram and Twitter accounts for more information on events. From time to time we'll change the display, launch new editions and introduce new artists to the collective, so even if you've already dropped by to say hi there are plenty of reasons to return…

Our new, geometric home – exterior shot of the Look Up Gallery at Central Parade

Thanks for reading. If you're in the neighbourhood, pop in and say hello – and please spread the word : )



centralparade.com

meanwhilespace.com