Among their common interests they found they had a link to the central London enclave of Fitzrovia: Garry as a long-time resident and Lucy who had been born there at the Middlesex Hospital. On discovering that this 250 year old institution was to be demolished, they moved rapidly to document it, contacting the developers to allow access to the site for an artistic intervention. They invited fine artist Graham Carrick who had lived opposite the hospital, specialist large-format photographer Peter Mackertich and audio-visual artist Pamela Furness to collectively respond to the rich history of this hospital’s huge site and unusually complex building. The works made and documented in-situ resulted in a unique documentation project spanning painting, film, found object, portrait photography and projections entitled ’Memory and Demolition’. So in 2008, Fitzrovia Noir was born.

Under this banner Garry, Lucy and Graham went on to produce ambitious art interventions in underused, unusual buildings across the UK and abroad, collaborating with Venezuelan artist Manuel Sanmartin on a number of showcases for Latin American and British artists. Locations included a former aircraft factory in Hatfield; an old Edinburgh chapel; a London crypt; a former Cold War fallout shelter in Peterborough; the winding shed of a 19th Century Tyneside coalmine; a crumbling 13th Century French château and numerous spaces previously untried as sites for contemporary art. Through a partnership with Poplar HARCA housing association, Fitzrovia Noir converted an east London florists into a thriving community pub, The Tommy Flowers, now widely recognised as ‘a new model of creative outreach’ first cited by the Plunkett Foundation at the The House of Lords in 2019.

The fostering of emerging groups concerned with social justice and opportunities for all, continued at Making Space, offering modular space for development of ideas by local organisations such as The Wild Women Collective and international partnerships like Young Blood Initiative. This unit also nurtured works that were then shown at the Biennale and Film Festival in Venice, as well as creating the seed for Working Glass that continues to provide hands-on skills learning experiences for people who have had no previous engagement with heritage.

Establishing Fitzrovia Noir as a Community Interest Company in 2011, the last two decades has seen their continuing commitment to activities which broaden access to the arts, culture and heritage, working with many groups engaging a wide range of residents in neglected neighbourhoods in London and across the country. This work has been made possible with development support from Arts Council England/Cultural Spring, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Greater London Authority, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Local Trust/Big Local, SS Robin Trust, , Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust, Local authorities including Kensington & Chelsea, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Tower Hamlets, Westminster, plus the universities of Edinburgh, Hertfordshire, Westminster and London College of Fashion.

Fitzrovia Noir’s continued commitment to public participation in creative making includes the planning of an immersive workshop programme for schools. In the future Fitzrovia Noir aims to expand its reach into other parts of mainland Europe with a continuing programme of revitalising empty buildings with new cultural activity.

To find out more about our Founders / Directors, please go here.