Seeing the Southbank

On London’s Southbank a collection of Brutalist buildings sprawls across almost nineteen acres of land, stretching from Waterloo Bridge to the London Eye, and, from the opposite bank at dusk, appearing to float like a ship down the River Thames. This assemblage of multiple, multi-use spaces is collectively known as the Southbank Centre.

Built in the early 1950’s, as part of the Festival of Britain, the Southbank Centre’s various spaces host vast ranges of artistic and cultural activities, ranging from classical concerts in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, (the organ in the hall is the third largest in the UK, holding 7,866 pipes!) to book readings, (the centre contains the National Poetry Library, the largest poetry collection in the country), and festivals across the open plan foyer spaces. They welcome around thirty-million visitors each year, inviting them to experience the site through dance, art galleries, exhibitions, performances, participation, and more. Their influence has spread beyond the specific site, evident in the Women of the World festival, which was founded by outgoing Artistic Director Jude Kelly, and is now in the fledging stages of internationalism.

We were recently treated to a tour of the main building at the Southbank Centre: I was struck by the beautiful, open plan spaces, which were designed to be welcoming, democratic, and encourage freedom of use, passage, and, therefore, expression. I especially enjoyed the views from the balconies, looking out across the river, and the singing lift! I think I knew, without realising (if that makes sense), that the building was open use, allowing free entrance and passage through much of the space. It's good to know that there is a beautiful, creative place to sit with a coffee and a book at some time, and they have free concerts and activities in the ballroom space on Friday afternoons, so I shall certainly be heading that way after lectures!

After the tour we took part in some mindfulness exercises, drawing through breath, and automatic writing. This second activity took place in the level beneath the centre, a space adapted for use by skaters and graffiti artists. It made me think about the use and claim for site, and reflect on my invasion into this area, as that is what it felt like: almost trespassing onto this land that wasn’t ‘for me’. However I did find that I enjoyed the activities themselves, and I feel as though these expressive meditations are something that I will come back to in the future, as a way of calming and slowing my thought processes (I have a very over-active brain, maybe you've noticed!), and getting over moments of 'writers block'.

We were also asked to think about how we can create democratic spaces for art, culture, and expression, and the ways in which these supposedly elite sites can be open to all equally. The architecture of the building certainly seems to inspire participation, with large windows and lots of entrances, which blur the boundaries between the outside and inside of the space: intentionally phenomenological as well as literal.