For an arts business to be viable in temporary spaces, it needs a business that thinks beyond the short term.
Pop-up has become an umbrella term for a vast array of retail, marketing and art projects in temporary sites. This shift towards the transitory is prompting creative businesses to rethink the idea of permanency as the key to success.
So how can an arts worker find and acquire short-term space … and is it really worth it?
The search for space
Once limited to makeshift booths at festival events, creative pop-ups are now emerging in a much more experimental range of spaces. The where is increasingly informing the what as repurposing becomes an art of its own. The Festivalists, a pop-up event group based in Sydney, have made a name for themselves by seeking out interesting spaces and tailoring events around it.
‘For the past eight years we have been activating venues across the city, from cinemas to record stores, from pole dance studios to empty warehouses,’ says founder and director Mathieu Ravier.
According to Ravier the search for space ‘is a state of mind. It’s about looking at every place that you visit, whether for work or on a Saturday afternoon outing, whether with family or on a night out with friends, and asking yourself: how could this space be repurposed for an arts event?’
Another creative initiative related to pop-up is the temporary leasing of disused spaces for arts projects and businesses. Third-party organisations such as Renew Newcastle and Renew Australia frequently assist in the acquisition of these properties.
‘Newcastle had a particularly severe problem with more than a hundred empty buildings so a big part of the idea was to find ways that would allow the creative community – and the community more generally – to use them cheaply and easily,’ says Renew Newcastle and Renew Australia founder Marcus Westbury.
These urban renewal projects follow a more relative idea of temporary. A project might range from a one-month studio tenancy to a four-year arts project, making the term pop-up a little confusing in Westbury’s opinion.
So why is there so much empty space? ‘Often commercial tenants move on, things change, or areas change, so there can be periods where between commercial tenancies where properties might be vacant,’ says the City of Sydney Council’s Senior Manager of Culture Kate Murray. She also cites capital works as a factor leading to the underutilisation of space.
This simply means that for those prepared to compromise on certain conditions a new art space may be within reach.
Acquiring the space
Once you find an empty space there are a few stepping stones before you can successfully get your hands on the keys.
‘You might see a vacant property but finding the owner or finding the right person to speak to can be difficult,’ says Murray. To successfully seek out the owner you may need to quiz local businesses and real estates about the activity of the property.
Once dealing with the owner or manager a suitable rental rate must be negotiated. As a short-term tenant doesn’t have the same conditions as a long-term one they don’t necessarily have to pay the same rate. A temporary tenant has no long-term security, they are generally not allowed to fit out the property, and prospective tenants may be shown through at any hour.
There is also a list of positive property benefits stemming from a short-term lease that should be considered when negotiating a rental rate.
A temporary tenant limits the dark periods in a professional portfolio making the property more appealing to future tenants. They can generate local activity by creating a dynamic business mix, which is likely to improve the local economy. Furthermore, an activated location can be more attractive to potential tenants. Instead of a forgotten space with dirty windows and piled-up envelopes under the door, there is a cared for space with the lights on and a business in operation. This allows prospective tenants to visualise their own venture within those walls.
There are also safety benefits associated with short-term tenancies. ‘If a space is activated it serves as passive surveillance, so quite often it decreases the instance of things like graffiti or anti-social behaviour just by virtue of having activity in a particular space,’ says Murray.
On the other hand, various commercial concerns relating to the rental return make keep the price high. A lowered rental rate affects the valuation of the property, which can affect the owner’s personal tax liability. It might also be costly to activate a property short-term if the building is not compliant with safety regulations.
On top of these concerns there can also be suspicion when an artist approaches an owner.
‘Many of them (owners/property managers) don’t come from the creative sector so for many people who don’t they kind of hear creative sector and think they must be emotional artistic types who are going to throw paint everywhere and for us it ‘s been kind of saying well actually look, they can also be graphic designers, they can be furniture-makers, they can be all these people. Some of them even wear suits,’ jokes Murray.
If you are lucky enough to win over the property owner the next step is to gain council approval so you can operate as a business out of a commercial property. Leases often limit the permitted use of a property to certain activities. A new enterprise might take eight weeks to approve, if at all, by which time your short-term lease is up. The message here is to keep your proposed activity similar to the original purpose of the property if possible.
Murray is aware of this process and the frustration it can bring about. ‘We acknowledge that there’s serious regulatory reform that needs to take place and we’re developing out cultural policy at the moment so a part of that is to actually look at that regulatory reform and what might make it easier for the creative sector and property owners to do creative uses, but in the interim we’re trying to just demystify the process so that people have an entry point and can hopefully navigate their way through what can be a pretty daunting process.’
The City of Sydney Council currently offer various programs to assist in creative urban renewal such as an accommodation grants program, cash grants and subsidised rates of hire for particular spaces to motivate the facilitation of creative spaces, both permanent and temporary.
These schemes mixed with resources available through Renew Australia, the Creative Spaces website and other third-party organisations make the possibility of setting up a short-term art space increasingly easier.
What kind of temporary creative tenancies work?
With all this assistance available it may be a better time than ever to find a temporary space, but is it really the best option for your practice? If you are unsure what kind of lease to go for ask yourself these questions.
Is my business model tested?
Will I be using the space full-time?
Do I need to be in one location for the project to work?
Do I need to extensively refit the space?
If you answered no to any of these questions a short-term tenancy may be the best way to go.
The businesses that work best with short-term leases are ones with infrequent events such as galleries and performing arts companies that can use a centrally located temporary space to showcase their work and an alternate cheaper location for creation and rehearsal if necessary.
The use of temporary space also suits businesses that trade off the idea of flexibility. For Ravier the desire for spontaneity and surprise led to the idea of World Movies Secret Cinema, a curated mystery adventure.
‘At one event we took 300 people on a boat, gave them a backpack, a map and a (plastic) weapon, and took them to an island in Sydney harbour to take part in massive role playing game inspired by the Japanese cult film Battle Royale. At another, audiences were thrown a party in the vaults beneath Melbourne’s train line, then taken in coaches and limousines to a screening of Holy Motors on the tarmac at Essenden Airfields,’ says Ravier.
Untested creative enterprises can also benefit from a short-term lease. According to Murray, ‘Sometimes the risk is far too great to take on a full commercial license but if you just want to go in and show some work and see how it goes then pop-ups really suit that.’
Director Ree Nakada from Little Tengu pop-up space in Melbourne agrees. ‘I think that there can be a lot of hardship involved for creative people to set up a permanent shop when they are just starting out. Having a temporary set up can help with testing the waters for their business without the baggage of being locked into any long-term lease agreements.’
How to be successful
By looking at the Creative Spaces website it seems that the popularity of temporary spaces is growing. For the organisations that utilise these spaces permanency is obviously not a measure of success. So what is?
‘Permanency is actually a terrible goal for a lot of people!’ says Westbury. ‘Most of the projects that I have done are things that I have learnt from and moved on from. I’d turn the question around and ask instead how easy should it be for people to try things that might not work? I actually think that’s a much more interesting question.’
With this in mind, a more suitable measure of success may then relate to the ability to try new things and build a quality name without massive expenditures.
In the digital age a business can enjoy success without a bricks and mortar home as long as their status remains high. A strong online presence can sometimes be more effective than a permanent physical home.
Another factor of success lies in choosing the right temporary spaces. In its few months of incubation Little Tengu has hosted exhibitions, artist residencies, textile workshops, and has been used as a set for a short film. The space has movable walls that allow the short-term tenants to custom design their own area and allow all kinds of projects to thrive. Having a space that is inventive and matches your project, as well as being sympathetic to your activities, definitely helps.
According to Ravier, legacy is another key factor to be aware of when constantly shifting bases. ‘What happens when the pop-up finishes its run? How is that legacy preserved, whether in that particular space or in another temporary location?’
When you leave a space, it is essential to think about what can you take with you in terms of knowledge, skill, product and audience. You should also consider what can you leave behind at the space and with the community that will allow your project to enjoy an ongoing presence long after you have left.
If attention is paid to all these areas patrons should be willing to follow you from location to location. Your work will be transformed into a viable practice … without being a waste of space.
(Pictured: World Movies Secret Cinema)
