Words by Blend London Editorial This autumn, Somerset House marks its 25th anniversary with a landmark exhibition that pulses with basslines, street style, and generational memory. Rhythm & Roots is the first major solo show by Jennie Baptiste—a London-born photographer whose work has, for over three decades, captured the soul of Black British youth culture….
1987–1994 – The Acid House Epiphany London, summer 1987. In the basements of Southwark, beneath strobe lights and dilated smiles, Shoom is born. Not just a club: a collective baptism.Danny Rampling, fresh from Ibiza, brings a new sound—Chicago house, Balearic freedom, MDMA as sacrament.Clubs like The Trip and Heaven become temples for a new tribe:…
As Catching Flies with Honey, Joy Gregory’s first major UK retrospective, opens at Whitechapel Gallery, the celebrated British artist reflects on four decades of creative inquiry — and the enduring power of dialogue. For Joy Gregory, art has always been a conversation. Not just between artist and audience, but between past and present, image and…
In the shifting mosaic of South London, where cultures collide and communities coalesce, there are places that quietly hold the city together. Pecan is one of them. Tucked behind the bustle of Rye Lane, this modest charity centre doesn’t shout. It listens. It welcomes. It rebuilds. For over three decades, Pecan has been a lifeline…
There are some places where the rhythm of life is painted in color, carried in song, and served on a plate. Peckham and Bristol are two of those rare gems cities where culture isn’t just something you visit, but something you feel, taste, and carry home with you. In Peckham, the streets breathe creativity. Independent…
Where Mental Health Meets Community In South London, healing doesn’t always wear a white coat. Sometimes it arrives in the form of a peer-led workshop, a late-night sanctuary, or a garden tended by those reclaiming their sense of self. Across Brixton, Croydon, Camberwell and Peckham, a constellation of charities is quietly reshaping the mental health…
In Brixton, resistance doesn’t always wear a banner. Sometimes, it’s a book archive. Sometimes, it’s a pop-up kitchen. Sometimes, it’s a TikTok poem filmed on a rooftop. The soul of Brixton’s resilience lives in its spaces — physical and digital. Institutions like the Black Cultural Archives, nestled on Windrush Square, offer more than historical preservation….
In Brixton, music isn’t background — it’s architecture. It builds memory, holds grief, and pulses with joy. The legacy of Brixton’s sound systems is woven into the fabric of its streets. From the thunderous bass of reggae parties in the 1970s to the grime cyphers echoing through community centres today, sound has always been a…
The bassline rolls thick through Electric Avenue, vibrating against the pavement like a heartbeat. A mural of Olive Morris gazes out from the wall, her eyes steady, her presence defiant. Brixton doesn’t whisper its history — it sings it, paints it, cooks it, and dances it into the streets. Here, art isn’t decoration. It’s declaration….
Camberwell isn’t just a postcode — it’s a state of mind. Nestled between Peckham and Brixton, this South London neighbourhood has long carried a creative heartbeat, and today it’s pulsing stronger than ever. Once known primarily for its art school and quiet streets, Camberwell has evolved into a dynamic enclave full of young professionals, emerging…