Bold Tendencies

HISTORY OF BOLD TENDENCIES

Established in 2007, Bold Tendencies is a not-for-profit arts organisation based in the rooftop spaces at Peckham Multi-Storey Car Park in South London. Bold Tendencies created a public space in a disused building in the city and over 16 years has transformed the site into an experimental civic space and much-loved place of assembly.

THE CAR PARK

Peckham Multi-Storey Car Park was commissioned in 1980 by Sainsbury’s Supermarkets. Designed and eventually built in 1982 by their internal Architect and Engineers Department, the 700-space car park stood with exposed concrete frame and brick cladding, very much the brutal style of its day.

The car park was built to cater for customers of a brand new style of self-service supermarket located at the front of the building, replacing the traditional counter-store branch that had operated on their Peckham site since 1931 (now Clark’s Shoe Shop, Rye Lane), the last ever Sainsbury’s counter service.

In November 1982 the counter shop closed. On the last day of the same month, its replacement supermarket opened its doors to the public. With a sales area of 17,094 sq ft, it was eight times the size of the old store.

After 10 years operating on this site, Sainsbury’s moved to its present site on Dog Kennel Hill in 1992. Two years later in 1994, the original site was transformed into a cinema – Peckhamplex – which has occupied the space of the former Peckham supermarket ever since.

From that moment on, the adjoining car park fell into underuse, if not complete disuse and the top four floors were eventually closed to public access.

Photography by Oskar Proctor

Derelict until 2007, Bold Tendencies was founded in spring of that year. Established on the top 4 floors of the car park, the not-for-profit organisation has since developed a full summer season of site-specific visual art commissions and new architecture, and produces an ambitious live events programme of music, opera, dance and literature from May to September every year.

In 2009 Bold Tendencies commissioned Frank’s Cafe as its first architectural project, designed and built by Practice Architecture (founded by Paloma Gormley and Lettice Drake who were still students at the time). Conceived as a place to sit and refresh on site it was run by local bartender Frank Boxer and chef Michael Davies (who met working at the Anchor & Hope in Waterloo).

Since 2009 Frank’s Cafe – with its iconic retractable red tarpaulin roof – has been an integral part of the Bold Tendencies summer season. It offers brunch, lunch and dinner, all made to order on-site and focussed on simplicity and seasonality.

Bold Tendencies supports artists to develop their ideas and to realise site-specific projects and present live performances from its rooftop home. It commissions new visual art — 128 works to date — and produces an award-winning live programme of music, dance, opera and live readings.

Bold Tendencies is for everyone, animating the programme and the site for the neighbourhood through standalone education and community initiatives that take culture and civic values seriously.

Photography by Peter Landers

Following the success of Bold Tendencies, in 2015 Southwark Council made the decision to repurpose the remaining levels of the car park and tendered for proposals for the space. Peckham Levels were appointed to operate Floors 1 – 6 of the car park, providing creative workspaces and a public floor for independent food and beverage vendors.

In 2017, in consultation with Bold Tendencies and following a 5,000-strong community petition Southwark Council reached an agreement to take the car park off their core borough redevelopment plan, confirming the changed use and long-term cultural purpose of the building. Bold Tendencies was guaranteed a life-time lease for the top four floors of the former car park.

As of 2023, Bold Tendencies continues to operate an annual summer programme of visual art and live events on Levels 7 – 10 of the car park with Frank’s Cafe providing refreshments for visitors.

More than 3 million people have visited Bold Tendencies over 16 summer seasons so far. Bold Tendencies celebrates the free enjoyment of public space in the city, welcoming participation in its rich, experimental programme and preserving open access to this special, spectacular place.