JUST nine months after taking over a deserted office block at the heart of Liverpool's commerical district, a groundbreaking arts project has been told it has to get out of the building by the end of this month.
The collective “If Only…”, trading as 8WS Creative Spaces, has been using 8 Water Street, as an arts hub since last August but it has been revealed that the building is being put up for sale. It and its dozens of users who took spaces there have been told they have until next Friday, May 1, to get out.
Brave new world: Roger Hill revealed plans for 8 Water St last OctoberArtist and BBC Radio Merseyside broadcaster Roger Hill, one of the charity collective who spearheaded the initiative, said: "The landlord’s lease with SHAPE-UK, the national disability organization, which has enabled “If Only…” to use the spaces, falls due in the next month and is not being renewed."
In the last nine months If Only... has populated the deserted spaces in the building with performances, rehearsals, workshop sessions in dance and drama and visual arts installations. More than a dozen individuals and organisations are affected, including painters, DJs, perofrmance artists and an, er, online magazine. The collective is now urgently seeking another space in the city to continue its work.
A showcase of creative work by several of the building's users was to feature in the forthcoming Light Night. Artist Leon Jakeman had planned sound and visual installations on each of 8 Water Street's floors. Today, as he was packing up for good, he told Confidential: "I was gutted to learn about this. It is a real shame after all the hard work the If Only... team put in and things were looking bright.
"However, I really believe that for the bigger picture there is hope by using this experience to go for something that would work better for all in the long run."
He added: ""This has been a shock for all and has varying levels of complications for most people. But hopefully the new can happen sooner than later to keep the connection between all the users and momentum that
has been built thus far."
Gutted: Artist Leon JakemanA statement from If Only... said: “It is with deep regret that we have to announce that 8 Water Street will close as of Friday 1st May due to the building being put up for sale.
"We are formulating our plans for the future and would like to thank all the artists, performers, community groups and people who have been involved and made this an amazing place to work and be creative. It’s been a fantastic experience, and we are looking forward to what comes next.
"In the light of other initiatives which are utilising unlet spaces in the city and the current popularity of pop-up initiatives, the group hope that their experience will help them to find support and encouragement from the business, property sectors and from Liverpool City Council."
