Interview with Peckham Platform’s Emily Druiff (Director)
What do you need to set up an organisation like Peckham Platform?
To set up Peckham Platform has involved a vision for open and accessible cultural space within the centre of Peckham. On a practical level, this has involved dedication, patience, and passion for supporting communities in the locale to work with social arts practices.
Has the gallery’s mission changed since it opened?
Yes, the mission of the organisation has evolved since the gallery became a charity in 2014, from a linear commissioning programme to a more expanded vision that communities can inform and shape their locality through working with contemporary visual artists.
How do you select artists for exhibitions?
Artists are often appointed through a selection panel including community representatives, and therefore have to have proven track record of working with those particular groups. A key part of the job is getting out and about to find artists who have these skills and researching their work.
How has the local art scene changed since Peckham Platform first opened?
Peckham’s art scene has changed massively since we opened in 2010. The introduction of the orange line has helped really link Peckham to the rest of London and this has in turn attracted galleries to the area alongside relatively cheap rents. There are set to be more changes afoot so watch this space.
The London art scene is massive and overwhelming. Out of hundreds of galleries and thousand of people who work in them, how do you know where to go and who to listen to?
We asked a few hundred art professionals, curators, and artists to name their favourite galleries and we came up with a list of 70. Luckily for us, many museums and galleries were available for interviews. We wanted to share the knowledge with as many art professionals as we could so we are sharing many of them here. The full interviews are available in the book ‘Who to Know in London?’
This interview was conducted in 2015, it took a year to publish because it turns out it’s a lot harder to liaison with 70 galleries and their PR agencies than we originally expected. All the anachronisms were kept to illustrate just how fast paced the London gallery scene is, some people we interviewed no longer work at the same galleries, and some galleries no longer exist in the same form they did last year.
