Zoop Retro + Free the Gallery + Haynes Lane Crystal Palace London

Great Exhibitions

Crystal Palace has always had edge. Last century it was a favoured hideout of pirate radios thanks to being one of the highest places in London. MSM radio comes from the Eiffel Tower lookalike transmitting station that pierces the sky. These days it’s The Triangle below the mast (time to rebrand it TriBeMa?) that’s getting all the attention. The revival of this angular patch on a plateau radiating off Church Road, Westow Hill and Westow Street has avoided the slips of gentrification and gone straight to urban authentic.

Brimming with life, flowing with ambience, frothing over on fun are its 48 restaurants, 37 wellness shops, 11 antique stores, 10 clothes shops, 10 pubs, nine giftshops, eight gyms, seven interiors shops, six charity shops, six convenience stores, three beer and wine shops, three flower shops and two pet shops. Most of the pubs are fine examples of Forget Temperance Victorian architecture.

An exciting vertical and rear extension has transformed Westow House, a pub overlooking Crystal Palace Park with an uninterrupted view of the transmitter. Two extra storeys and a substantial return wing designed by Daria Wong Architects contain function space and 23 bedrooms attached to the pub downstairs. This reinstates the building to its original four storey height and proportions pre World War II bomb damage. Haddonstone replicated historic stone details using 3D scanning technology.

In contrast to Westow House, Haynes Lane is one of Crystal Palace’s hidden gems. Tucked behind Sainsbury’s off Westow Street, it’s lined on one side by a pretty Victorian terrace stepping down the hill. On the other side, brick warehouses wedged into the hill around a courtyard are now a lively vintage market. Free the Gallery occupies the upper level: it’s a pop up space. Zoop Retro has taken it over along with an exhibition by artist Nick Slim.

Peter Raistrick, owner of Zoop Retro, relates, “I’d just arrived in London from Middlesbrough in 1990 to study for a graphic design degree at the London College of Communication and I found a discarded Levi’s denim jacket that looked unusual so I tried to repatriate it and nobody in the immediate area wanted it. So I went to a specialist retailer on Kensington High Street and they gave me £60 for it. That spurred my interest in dealing in vintage clothing. I opened my shop in Crystal Palace three and a half years ago. One rail turned into two turned into three. I have 12 rails in this pop up. I also have my permanent shop downstairs.”

“Nineties Levi’s jackets still sell well,” he notes. “As do Adidas Originals not to be confused with newer variants. Denim is always popular. Zoop Retro is about going back in time to Nineties club culture. I also sell quirky stuff like South Korean graphic prints.” Haynes Lane is quite the social hub and no time more so than on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Nick arrives over from his studio on Westow Hill. He shares, “I create distinctive multilayered paintings, collages and prints. My photographic and digital artworks are reflective of my interests in pop culture and vintage erotica, as well as my often provocative sense of humour. My artworks are playful and dark at the same time, inviting the viewer to ‘peel off’ the layers and reveal their hidden message. My attention to detail highlights the finesse of methods and technique be it digital or painting. Drawing on my training as a fine artist, I break the rules in order to create a symbiosis of mixed genres and media resulting in my trademark slick punchy use of colour, form and satirical narrative.”

Nick won the Reece Martin Prize for Painting at Camberwell College of Arts and went on to study Fine Art at Sheffield Hallam University in the Nineties where he embraced the city’s rave subculture. He was appointed Art Director for Transcentral Rave Parties. Slim trailblazed responding artistically to the new dance music scene using screening, video projection, 16 millimetre film and 35 millimetre slide shows. He has exhibited his work with the lingerie brand Coco de Mer and his work is for sale in The Paxton Centre on Annerley Hill to the east of The Triangle.

Singer musician storyteller Violetta Vibration rocks up to Free the Gallery. “On a quantum level all matter is vibration so nothing is really real,” she considers. “Your thoughts are vibration and if you think you want to do something and go an get an onion and chop it into soup you’re creating soup. You’re basically creating your reality with your thoughts. If you think everything’s going to be awful and nobody likes you and that there’s something wrong with you you’ll probably meet people who reaffirm that belieft. So you have to think that you’re great and amazing and love who you are to attract people that are on that frequency. I’m supposed to be meeting you today!” Later, Violetta will put her amazing vocal range and songwriting talent to very good use. It’s not over till the fab lady sings.