Oldknows Studios

Situated near the junction of Huntingdon Street and Mansfield Road, with more than a passing resemblance to New York’s ‘Flat Iron’ Building, the Oldknows Factory has been a centre of creative enterprise since 1987, when a group of fine art graduates from NTU (then Trent Poly) established Oldknows Studio Group. With funding from East Midlands Arts, members of Oldknows Studio Group established and ran a fine art gallery in the third floor apex space. Between 1989 and 1995, Oldknows Gallery exhibited innovative contemporary fine art from the UK, Europe (including East Germany) and the USA. In addition to the gallery, many creative groups and initiatives were launched and nurtured at Oldknows, including: Strata, Mere Jelly, Nottingham Contemporary Artists’ Network, The Open Studio Festival, Nottingham Cabaret Collective, Cyril Seaton’s Cycle Roots, Gold, Nottingham Studio Consortium, Cruiser, Another Russian Artist and Nu Urban Gardeners.

Oldknows Studio Group disbanded (formally) in 2009 but Oldknows Studio continues to thrive. Although there are just ten units, these are used by far more than the ten tenants. Oldknows Studio remains the HQ for Cruiser, an international network of ‘artists who travel hopefully’ that includes Yelena Popova, Simon Withers, Saira Lloyd and Chris Lewis-Jones... and Cyril Seaton’s Cycle Roots, a live art ensemble established by Lewis-Jones and Withers that now includes film maker/VJ Gareth Jordan, actor/singer Angelina Warenska and an expanding stable of associates. Since 2009, Oldknows has been the home of Nu Urban Gardeners (Lewis-Jones and Withers) and continues to attract and nurture emerging talent, most recently/notably Simon Franklin, who joined us in 2011. Popova has recently been short listed for the Saatchi Gallery/Channel Four New Sensations prize whilst Nu Urban Gardeners have recently been commissioned to perform (Embrace the Tate) at Tate Britain. Oldknows is a significant component within the creative identity of Nottingham. Many well-known artists have produced innovative work there in the past (including George Shaw, Said Adrus and Samson Kambalu) and many well known artists continue to produce innovative work there in the present, and, we anticipate, will do so into the future.<