Exploring the past, present and future in the old waiting room
by Ruari Wheeler
Located right in the beating heart of South East London’s Peckham, the “Exploring Past, Present and Future” exhibition that took place on July 14th in the old waiting room took visitors on a multimedia experience through the local area. Showcasing the diverse inhabitants of the area, the exhibition captured what it means to really live and work in an area that was named London’s coolest by Time Out. The exhibit offered a wide array of experiences, skilfully weaving together diverse cultures, stories, and visual languages within a cohesive space.
The old waiting room has stood for over 150 years. Originally built in 1865 as a place for Victorian gentlemen to wait for their trains to arrive at the adjacent Peckham Rye station, it was converted to a billiards room in 1922 before being abandoned in the 1950s. The space has recently been reclaimed as a community space, and there is no more pertinent location for the exhibition put together by Karla Rosales Garcia, Abbey Lew and Chiara Portinari that explores how this grandiose space can create a connection with the vibrant and diverse community of Peckham.
As you enter some nondescript doors to the side of Peckham Rye station’s main entrance, a grand gold and green staircase is revealed with old-fashioned hand-painted signs advertising the long-gone billiards room of the 1920s. Follow the signs up three flights of the gold and green stairs, and you are taken to a space of faded grandeur, with vaulted ceilings that hark back to its halcyon days, and creaking floorboards and exposed beams that bring you back down to its decades of neglect.
This exhibition took us on a visual and audio journey through the area, focused through the lens of locals’ experiences with the old waiting room space. At times, it showed everyday life in Peckham before switching to interviews with local people. The exhibition was a collection of researched, curated, and documented past and contemporary societal narratives and memories, including the unseen voices of the Latin American diaspora and other underrepresented groups living and working in Peckham, using storytelling and mixed media: photography, sound, and moving images. The discussions were eclectic, ranging from people’s views on the exhibition space to what makes a community, to the threat of gentrification, to the current housing crisis. This is a multimedia journey through the psyche of local people delivered in a powerful and innovative way.
In my opinion “Exploring past, present and future” exhibition masterfully captured the essence of Peckham’s diverse and dynamic community. Karla Rosales Garcia, Abbey Lew, and Chiara Portinari created an engaging experience that was as thought-provoking as it was visually captivating. The seamless integration of interviews, photography, sound, and moving images painted a vivid picture of local life and the area’s evolving identity. Each piece, from reflections on community to discussions about gentrification and the housing crisis, resonated deeply with visitors, sparking dialogue and empathy. The ambitious scope of the exhibition showcased the collective spirit of Peckham while maintaining a cohesive narrative, making it a powerful testament to the transformative power of community-led art. The exhibition successfully laid a foundation for furthering connections and enriching the ongoing Making Connections festival, cementing its importance in the local cultural scene.
The old waiting room has been hosting the Making Connections festival since 2023, a festival designed and directed by majority female, marginalised or under-represented artists. Making Connections focuses on community, care, and social connection through creative experiences. The work showcased in this exhibition will be used by the festival to improve and enhance the festival’s relationship and engagement with the people who live and work in the local area.
