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Here are some bleak stats for you. Of the nearly 1,500 monuments dotted across London, only four percent are dedicated to women. That’s half as many as those that pay homage to animals. And of all the public sculptures in London, only 13 percent were created by female artists.
But there are people out there trying to change that. A brilliant cluster of women-created artworks can be found on the roof terrace of Temple Underground station. Ten years ago, art curator Claire Mander stumbled upon the abandoned space and, with her arts charity theCOLAB, raised enough money to turn it into the Artist’s Garden in 2021. It’s the world’s first and only public sculpture garden devoted to work by women. But after five years, Mander has been told that theCOLAB’s licence for the site will not be renewed on October 1 and that it must vacate.
A spokesperson for Places for London (TfL’s property branch, which owns the building) told the Guardian that the terrace and station roof need to undergo ‘essential repair and safety works’, which require it to be cleared. But Mander argues that the repairs relate to the vacant commercial property below and in the plans, there is no indication of a large-scale overhaul of the terrace. She told the paper that she worries it will be handed to a private developer. London Centric reported that Soho House founder Nick Jones has shown an interest in taking on the lease of the parts of Temple tube station that aren’t needed by London Underground.
Now, there’s a campaign and petition to save the Artist’s Garden. The petition says: ‘This is bigger than one project. It is about keeping public land for the public. It is about private landowners not profiting from cultural and community place making. It is about women being seen, heard and represented in the fabric of our city.’ There is also a Crowdfunder aiming to raise £38,000 to support the campaign and obtain a High Court Declaration.
Places for London added: ‘The terrace is legally protected public open space and will always remain publicly accessible. We are working with Westminster City Council and local stakeholders to explore alternative locations nearby for The Artist’s Garden, while also developing future plans for the terrace at Temple.
‘The leaseholder of the adjoining commercial space at the station is Vinyl Factory, a cultural operator already active locally. Any future proposals for the terrace will protect public access, support the area’s cultural character and be subject to approval, including from TfL and Places for London.’
Did you see that Camden is getting a massive new £38 million venue for Irish culture, theatre and film?
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