Affordable creative coworking venue opens in London

Arts charity Artists Studio Company (ASC) has opened a creative venue in London providing affordable workspaces to creatives.

The Handbag Factory in Vauxhall opened in October with an official launch event planned on 23 November.

ASC says it opened the space in response to the cost-of-living crisis and changing creative working practices.

It will welcome creative practitioners working in fields such as the visual arts, fashion, print, design, photography, film, writing and illustration.

The venue features dedicated and coworking desks, meeting rooms and two hire galleries substantially below market rates.

It is also home to the ASC Gallery, a free public art gallery focused on supporting new talented artists and makers.

ASC CEO Peter Flack said the cost of an arts education and the cost of living in London is affecting the capital's global cultural status.

“London is literally being culturally hollowed out. For art and culture to thrive, it has to include people from all walks of life. If art excludes people and becomes the voice of only the privileged few, it will simply be irrelevant,” he added.

“ASC aims to address this problem brick by brick. The Handbag Factory will not solve the problem, but it will help.’’