CREATIVE LAND TRUST ANNOUNCES IT’S FIRST ARTIST TRUSTEES
Thursday 24 September, 2020Malene Oddershede Bach and Emmanuel Unaji join Creative Land Trust as Artist Trustees helping build a portfolio of long-term affordable artist studio space.
The Creative Land Trust is pleased to announce that artists Malene Oddershede Bach and Emmanuel Unaji have joined the Board to help steer decision making by providing an understanding of artists' requirements in London and across the sector.
Malene Oddershede Bach is a high-end womenswear designer and textiles artist. She draws inspiration from both the natural world she grew up in and the bustle of London. Juxtaposing overtly feminine features with harder, more tomboyish details, her collections harmoniously marry two conflicting worlds.
In 2014, Malene joined forces with her partner to set up PJR Creative Studios Ltd, providing affordable creative workspaces. Their portfolio now covers 120,000 square feet of studio space across London.
Emmanuel Unaji is a multimedia fine artist based in London. Combining painting, drawing, collage and fashion design, his work is an exploration of what lies beneath the surface of human existence. He critically examines our tendency to form opinions on the basis of media headlines and photographs, critiquing the digital era we live in.
Emmanuel also co-owns Unaji&Co, an art and design company. As an entrepreneur and business owner he understands the critical role that financial stability and long-term planning play in sustaining a studio practice.
Malene and Emmanuel join the Board of experts from the arts, investment, legal and property sectors who have successfully launched the Creative Land Trust.
Supported by the Mayor of London, Arts Council England, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Outset Contemporary Art Fund, the Creative Land Trust’s mission is to provide affordable studio space for artists across London and the UK, in perpetuity. Most recently they worked to deliver the Mayor of London’s Culture at Risk Business Support Fund, distributing £1.6m to 82 studios across 18 boroughs, supporting nearly 11,500 creatives across London.
Malene Oddershede Bach, New Artist Trustee said:
I am delighted to be joining the Creative Land Trust. Provision of affordable creative workspaces have been a line of work close to my heart alongside my creative work since 2014 and now even more than ever, it is important to unlock the future we want to see for the creative industries within the UK. Creatives don't want unaffordable glass boxes to work within and I'm a true believer that building workspaces from creative points of view - the end user rather than the developers, are the key to providing the affordability and longevity the creative industries require.'
Emmanuel Unaji, New Artist Trustee said:
“Becoming a Creative Land Trust Artist Trustee within this current economic climate has been enlightening, having the opportunity to contribute to the Trust's relationship with the creative sector is invaluable.
In my experience the industry is competitive like sport: professional creatives must work consistently to establish and maintain the circulation of artistic innovation and capital. I hope, through the Trust providing affordable workspace, the ingenuity of artists is facilitated, consequently enabling a competitive existence within the market.
My concern is to work against London losing its resourceful and innovative edge due to the economic climate, the spirit of resilience must live on.”
Alex Notay and Catherine Webster, Co-Chairs of the Creative Land Trust Board said:
“We are thrilled to welcome Malene and Emmanuel to the board of the Creative Land Trust. Having two enterprising and successful artists join the board is a great addition to our skillset; the wealth of experience and insights offered by the new appointees will both strengthen the organisation and help to address our goals in providing long term affordable workspace to the creative sector.”
***
Note to the editor:
London’s creative economy is worth an estimated £47 billion per annum but is at risk due to loss of studio facilities. The already struggling sector is also projected to feel the impact of Covid-19 twice as hard as the wider economy.
The Creative Land Trust was established in 2019 to secure long term, affordable space for artists and creatives, ensuring a vibrant and prosperous future for this critical industry, enriching communities and strengthening our city. The aim is to secure 1,000 affordable workspaces in the first five years, offering space to help artists keep their practices running and helping maintain London’s status as an international cultural capital.
The Trust is currently looking to acquire its first property through asset transfers and by outright purchase, including options such as a long lease, a section 106 agreement or a Community Infrastructure Levy. It will then work with studio providers to lease space to artists and creative practitioners.
Artist Trustees are part of a growing network of representatives working to ensure that the activity and relevance of the Creative Land Trust is communicated across sectors around London and the UK.
Malene Oddershede Bach and Emmanuel Unaji are the first Artist Trustees to join the Board. They join Artist Ambassadors Daniel Silver, Haroon Mirza and Yinka Shonibare CBE in ensuring the artist community is properly represented within the work undertaken by the Creative Land Trust.
Distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/