The old waiting room at Peckham Rye station has turned into a free pony-themed art gallery just for the weekend, writes Alex Orr…
The Run, Pony, Run exhibition, organised by Noisy Room Projects, is free to visit for members of the public, and can be found next door to the train station.
The staircase at Peckham Rye’s old waiting room
The works of 27 artists from the UK and across Europe are on display, including paintings, installations, sculptures, and sound pieces. There will also be four live performances on Sunday, the exhibition’s final day.
Run, Pony, Run is Noisy Room Projects’ debut exhibition, and organiser Amabelle Chandra said the old waiting room at Peckham Rye was the perfect space for it.
She said: “I like that you can see the trains from the windows because the exhibition is talking about movement and passing.
“I think it identifies with the theme of how we’re moving away from gentrified art and censorship.”
She added she wanted the exhibition to be as accessible as possible, capping exhibition fees at £10 for all the artists involved.
The old waiting room venue, now managed by Maverick Projects, can be also be rented out for film shoots, private events and ‘non-legal weddings’, according to Maverick’s Instagram.
The view from the old waiting room
The space, which had previously been used by station staff as a billiards hall, had been left derelict for four decades but was restored in 2006 by The Peckham Society and Peckham Vision in collaboration with Southwark Council and Network Rail.
Architect and Peckham Vision co-founder, Benedict O’Looney, was able to fully restore the staircase in 2017, meaning visitors to Run, Pony, Run and future exhibitions are able to walk up the original steps to access the space.