Published
Mon, Feb 5, 2018, 13:55
- Several world-renowned architects and designers, including Beyoncé collaborator Es Devlin OBE, are involved in the project.
East London church and music venue St John At Hackney is getting a £5 million refurbishment.
According to Hackney Gazette, various top architects and designers are on board for the project, which will start later this year and last 18 months. Among them is renowned minimalist John Pawson and Es Devlin OBE, the visual artist behind the closing ceremony at the 2012 London Olympics. A portion of the funding—£1.84 million—comes from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The money will be spent renovating the 226-year-old building and its gardens.
"We're only going to do this once so it has to be special," Reverend Al Gordon told Hackney Gazette. "If someone has thought carefully about a space you walk into, you feel valued. I'm really passionate about this. With all the pressures of social change and gentrification we want to really be a presence in the community."
The restoration will also mean that St John At Hackney can host more gigs and club nights. As well as welcoming heavyweight pop acts like Coldplay and Ed Sheeran, the church has been used for a number of electronic music parties and concerts, with Laurel Halo, Floating Points, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tim Hecker among past guests.
Learn more about St John At Hackney in our debut edition of The Hour, published in May 2016.