images from www.wappingproject.com
A girlie catch-Up with friends led us to this space and a previous conversation with colleagues a few hours before about Wapping had sparked excitement in the office about what lay ahead...
Nestled in the cobbles between the City of London and Canary Wharf is the remnants of The Wapping Power Station. It has since been turned into an East London restaurant come art space -The Wapping Project.
If you like gritty realism while you eat, accompanied by contemporary art and inspiring installations you need to come here!
images from www.wappingproject.com / Google Images
It's interior is reminiscent of Tate Modern's Turnbine Hall as the interior restaurant bares homage to its host's roots by resting peacefully amongst the old 1890's works, turning them into works of art themselves. The restaurant is used also as an event space and has a large back area which is constantly in use, normally closing at 10pm, so make sure you get there early enough to view whichever exciting project they have displayed (many are also interactive). If you are popping in for a late night cocktail or glass of wine try and time it right as it's so disappointing missing out. It's an amazing evening experience when you can have a gourmet meal and then walk around the current show before pudding!
Apparently they have a superb in-house butchery and its carefully sourced produce has helped gain The Wapping Project food respect amongst it's peers. Clearly a lady of taste and lover of good wine, the curator Jules Wright has made sure the restaurant is well stocked and has a 67-bin-all Australian wine list! Tim Walker has exhibited here and right now it is currently in partnership with the V&A and Bankside with Yohji's Women Photography Exhibition. Last year they also created and hosted the Moonshine Cinema Project. Lets hope they do it again in 2011!
Photograph from Google Images
Jules Wright launched The Wapping Project in October 2000 and is a woman of many talents. An Australian theatre director (The Royal Court Theatre and Liverpool Playhouse) and also a doctor of psychology. She turned down running THe Sydney Opera House in 1991 to develop The Wapping Project. In 1993 Wright developed the concept for it to become a performance art space and in 1998 had secured the freehold. She then closed it down for 2 years and spent 4 million renovating it. It was deliberately developed to be as malleable as possible so that the restaurant was not only flexible for installations but also for large scale corporate dinner events and of course a more conventional but well executed bar space.
Photograph from Google Images
It also has the cutest bookshop in its grounds, aptly named The Wapping Project Bookshop, it's little greenhouse reinforces the quintessentially British surroundings of the Wapping district's vibe and is a perfect outlet to sit juxtaposed to the power station. On April 7th Gerry King will be reading and performing from his humourous collection of short fiction stories, 'Lubin Tales'. With a background in performance poetry, King will provide a memorable evening and I will be doing my best to be there! Tickets are £5 and can be reserved via email: shop@thewappingproject.com
Photograph from Google Images
Jules is a strong minded business woman with a plan and determination. So what does that mean for the future of The Wapping Project? Growth and success it seems.
It's a brilliant project and company offering so much experience, enlightenment and entertainment I can't wait to see what it'll do next! -Bring it On!
Photograph from Google Images
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