Open205 Deptford
A space that acts as a blank canvas for all ideas: contextualising the madness with Open 205Deptford
Intro
It all started with a sign in a window.
Nina Parsons, co-founder of Open205, was walking down Deptford high street when she stumbled across a sign stating ‘studios for rent’. Gazing into the shopfront, a thought popped into her head — “maybe this is what I need to do”. It was a gut feeling that she just couldn’t shake off. After meeting the landlord who had a vision for an art studio, Nina created a whatsapp group chat with fellow artists asking if anyone was interested. When Harry Hibbert saw the message on his phone, a sense of certainty washed over him. He needed a change, and this seemed like the perfect one.
To summarise the conversation that followed, it went a bit like this…
Nina
“If we do this, we’ve got to do it now.”
Harry
“Fuck it, might as well.”
So Open205 Deptford was born! A hybrid gallery and studio space where the creative process is brought out of the shadows, and into the spotlight. Unlike other galleries in Deptford that are in basements or private rooms, Open205 is located on the high street with wide expansive windows and a door that is always open.
It was on a rather muggy evening that I had the pleasure of visiting Nina and Harry in their space. I was a hot mess to say the least. My journey to the gallery felt like one mistake after another— starting with getting on the wrong train, followed by a tube closure, and a face plant. As I zoomed down Deptford high street, I found both Harry and Nina surrounded by art, chit chatting over some tinnies. Despite feeling flustered, once entering the space I was met with huge smiles and warm hugs. I felt at ease in their presence, and the space itself had a cosy feeling to it like that of a creative sanctuary. After a catch up we got into the nitty gritty and dug deep into their goals as artists, the importance of trusting the process, and instilling balance into their crazy lives.
Since opening their doors over a year ago, Open205 have hosted a range of collectives and artists in their space. The space has seen spoken word performances shared over bowls of seasonal soup, bouncy bass lines played from a range of DJs, and an immersive exhibition whereby a pile of chalk was left on the floor as people's footsteps were imprinted on the gallery’s floorboards.
Harry
The idea of Open205 had always existed to me as this as a third space where all of my ideas could come to life. There are so many people and friends I know who are creative in different ways, and we thought it would be really cool to have a melting pot of all this happening. I thought maybe we could combine the two, having a gallery space up front and a studio in the back. A lot of people have more appreciation of something if they see the work that gets put into it.
Me
Yh kind of mad actually because I’ve been thinking a lot about the creative process and how it’s never really spoken about, we just see the final product.
Harry
Yeah, I also think it's never really one person even when it’s one signature on the piece at the end. It's a culmination of things that take a lot of time.
Me
On that note, when it comes to collaborating with people and curating. What is your process?
Nina
We have kind of had to make it up as we go along. We didn’t have much time at all from when we began to when we started. We set out with the intention of inviting any and all artists who we admire to put on exhibitions. But the reality of the situation is, money just doesn't work that way. So we've had to narrow it down, but inclusion is still a key foundation for us and we do our best to support artists with less funding.
Harry
There are costs involved and we are very transparent about that. We have a tiered system, that means it's super flexible which makes it accessible.
We do big open calls for our big group shows, and to be honest they are one of our more vibrant and successful events!
Nina starts talking over Harry excitedly…
Nina
The open calls have been amazing because it's so lovely for us to bring people together that wouldn’t have met otherwise. People come from all over like we had someone from…
Harry
Manchester
Nina
Take part in a group exhibition
Harry
Which is crazy to us as we never thought we’d make it out of South London!
These two were starting to finish their sentences.
Me
That is so incredible. And has this literally just been through Instagram?
Nina
Yeah but honestly we haven't even put much effort into social content. Honestly we feel it's more through the power of word of mouth.
Harry sits back in his chair and takes a swig of his Red Stripe and slowly takes everything in the space in.
Harry
The nicest thing about having this space is that people come with the coolest ideas. We get to read and listen to these things we’ve never heard of, that we never knew existed.
There's just all ideas that we don't get to think of but get to host. I don’t think we have a vibe or niche in terms of genre of art. I always say, if we like it we will say yes. Even if we don’t know how to make that yes happen, we will figure it out.
Me
I love that! Post-covid a lot of household names and galleries went online but I think there is an importance to a physical space in the creative landscape… really I think that it lies in the people you are able to meet. These spaces allow for the creation of communities and most people, especially creatives, need a supportive network around them!
Nina
I think that during COVID, everyone went back to their small circles, and it almost acted as a leveller. So, when we were brought back into the physical world, we all wanted to meet people and have real connections again! It made us realise how much we crave those face-to-face interactions and the energy that comes from being around others who are passionate and active in their own creative practices.
Spaces like Open 205 are needed because community is important! I've never met more people so dedicated to their practice or engaged with so many inspiring people than when being here.
We all nod in agreement and look at one another, feeling grateful for in-person connection. I once again felt a great warmth from Harry and Nina, people I barely knew. To me they embodied the magic that happens when you come together, share space, and create something bigger than yourself.
Me
You’ve definitely learned a lot from this. What would be your biggest advice to creatives seeking to advance their craft or creative ideas?
Nina
It feels so annoying to say this but for me, because this came from texting a number in a window— my advice would be to chase every single fucking opportunity. Apply to everywhere you can. Meet as many people as you can. Talk to everyone that you can.
Harry
Don’t stop because it won't be the first one that potentially gets back to you. This was a year of potentially feeling disenfranchised about leaving art school and being artists, and eventually things flipped around. You have to trust the process. Take big risks. Nothing is going to pay off by being safe.
Once our rambles and giggles came to an end, I was left feeling so utterly inspired by Nina and Harry. This ‘can do’ attitude and gritty perseverance is something that I see time and time again from creatives in London. It’s fucking inspiring.
Go visit Open205 and check out their website and instagram (@open205deptford). Check out the incredible events they put on, I can guarantee that their lovely community will embrace you with open arms.
By Isabelle Moulding