Arts Lab
Encyclopedia
The Arts Lab was an alternative arts centre, founded in 1967 by Jim Haynes at 182 Drury Lane. Although only active for two years, it was influential in inspiring many similar centres in the UK and continental Europe, including the expanded I.C.A.
in London, the Milky Way/Melkweg
in Amsterdam (where Jack Moore was one of the founders) and the Entrepôt
in Paris.
The Lab contained a cinema in the basement designed by Jack Moore and run by David Curtis. In the entrance there was a large gallery space directed by Biddy Peppin (David's girlfriend) and Pamela Zoline
. In a separate (but connected) warehouse was the theatre also designed by Jack Moore who, initially co-directed the activities there. Upstairs, the space in front housed a restaurant run by Susan Miles
. Haynes lived in the back above the storage and dressing rooms. A number of other people lived in various corners of the building, and the all-night cinema was often seen as a cheap crash-pad. Such amenities made it perfect for live events and 'happenings' and helped establish it as the quintessential drop-in/drop-out centre of the London counterculture
.
Yoko Ono
and John Lennon
's first joint artwork 'Build Around' was exhibited at the Arts Lab in May 1968.
One of the most significant features of the Arts Lab was that it encouraged similar establishments to exist outside London, many of which outlived Haynes' original, which closed in the autumn of 1969. On 18 December 1968 the Alchemical Wedding
benefit for the Arts Lab and BIT
took place at the Albert Hall, and following it, on 25–26 January 1969, the Arts Lab Conference in Cambridge emphasized the strength of the Arts Lab movement, listing 50 such centres across the whole country, including the Birmingham Arts Lab
and centres in Brighton, Exeter, Farnham, Guildford, Huddersfield, Loughborough, Manchester, Southampton and Swindon. David Bowie
, who used to rehearse (and perform mime) at the Drury Lane Arts Lab, co-founded a Beckenham Arts Lab, which organised a one-day free festival
, but was disillusioned by the lack of interest of other performers/artists taking an active role in the continuation of the centre.
An Arts Lab Newsletter was produced by Nicholas Albery
of BIT
in 1968 and updated in various editions of Bitman in later years.
In London, a New Arts Lab was founded by a breakaway group of original members, including the London Film-Makers' Co-op
, subsequently becoming the Institute for Research in Art and Technology
.
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
in London, the Milky Way/Melkweg
Melkweg
The Melkweg is a popular music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is located on the Lijnbaansgracht, near the Leidseplein, a prime nightlife center of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former warehouse and is divided into a number of spaces of varying sizes...
in Amsterdam (where Jack Moore was one of the founders) and the Entrepôt
Frédéric Mitterrand
Frédéric Mitterrand , a Franco-Tunisian citizen, is the French Minister of Culture and Communication. Throughout his career, he has been an actor, screenwriter, television presenter, writer, producer and director.-Biography:...
in Paris.
The Lab contained a cinema in the basement designed by Jack Moore and run by David Curtis. In the entrance there was a large gallery space directed by Biddy Peppin (David's girlfriend) and Pamela Zoline
Pamela Zoline
Pamela Zoline or Pamela Lifton-Zoline is a writer and painter living in the United States in Telluride, Colorado.Among science fiction fans, she is known for her controversial 1967 short story "The Heat Death of the Universe"...
. In a separate (but connected) warehouse was the theatre also designed by Jack Moore who, initially co-directed the activities there. Upstairs, the space in front housed a restaurant run by Susan Miles
Barry Miles
Barry Miles is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subject of the 1960s London underground. He has written numerous books and his work has also regularly appeared in left-wing papers such as The Guardian...
. Haynes lived in the back above the storage and dressing rooms. A number of other people lived in various corners of the building, and the all-night cinema was often seen as a cheap crash-pad. Such amenities made it perfect for live events and 'happenings' and helped establish it as the quintessential drop-in/drop-out centre of the London counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
.
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
and John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's first joint artwork 'Build Around' was exhibited at the Arts Lab in May 1968.
One of the most significant features of the Arts Lab was that it encouraged similar establishments to exist outside London, many of which outlived Haynes' original, which closed in the autumn of 1969. On 18 December 1968 the Alchemical Wedding
Bagism
Bagism is a term which was created by John Lennon and Yoko Ono as part of their extensive peace campaign in the late 1960s. The intent of bagism was to satirize prejudice and stereotyping. Bagism involved literally wearing a bag over one's entire body...
benefit for the Arts Lab and BIT
BIT
BIT was an information service, publisher, travel guide and social centre founded, in 1968, by John 'Hoppy' Hopkins. It pre-dated the internet as a free service that would try to find any information asked for and derived its name from the smallest unit of computer information.-BIT:BIT was...
took place at the Albert Hall, and following it, on 25–26 January 1969, the Arts Lab Conference in Cambridge emphasized the strength of the Arts Lab movement, listing 50 such centres across the whole country, including the Birmingham Arts Lab
Birmingham Arts Lab
The Birmingham Arts Laboratory or Arts Lab was an experimental arts centre and artist collective based in Birmingham, England from 1968 to 1982 – an "arts and performance space dedicated to radical research into art and creativity"...
and centres in Brighton, Exeter, Farnham, Guildford, Huddersfield, Loughborough, Manchester, Southampton and Swindon. David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, who used to rehearse (and perform mime) at the Drury Lane Arts Lab, co-founded a Beckenham Arts Lab, which organised a one-day free festival
Free festival
Free festivals are a combination of music, arts and cultural activities for which, often, no admission is charged, but involvement is preferred. They are identifiable by being multi-day events connected by a camping community without centralised control. The Free festival movement being the...
, but was disillusioned by the lack of interest of other performers/artists taking an active role in the continuation of the centre.
An Arts Lab Newsletter was produced by Nicholas Albery
Nicholas Albery
Nicholas Albery social inventor and author, was the founder or leader of various projects related to the improvement of society, often known as the Alternative Society....
of BIT
BIT
BIT was an information service, publisher, travel guide and social centre founded, in 1968, by John 'Hoppy' Hopkins. It pre-dated the internet as a free service that would try to find any information asked for and derived its name from the smallest unit of computer information.-BIT:BIT was...
in 1968 and updated in various editions of Bitman in later years.
In London, a New Arts Lab was founded by a breakaway group of original members, including the London Film-Makers' Co-op
London Film-Makers' Co-op
The London Film-makers' Co-op, or LFMC, was a British film-making workshop founded in 1966. It ceased to exist in 1999 when it merged with London Video Arts to form LUX....
, subsequently becoming the Institute for Research in Art and Technology
Institute for Research in Art and Technology
The Institute for Research in Art and Technology was founded in London in 1969 by arts theorist John Lifton as an offshoot of the London New Arts Lab, itself a breakaway from the original Arts Lab. Its early focus was on video and film, but this was subsequently expanded to include experimental...
.