The area sparked with associations. On the river bank stood Butlers Wharf, the former studios hosting a whole generation of artists and film makers, inlcuding Derek Jarman, Jo Stockham, William Raban, Anne Bean, Stephen Cripps.
‘Cripps at the Acme: Drawings & Performances’ The Acme Gallery, London, 1980. Photo: Rita Harris/Jonathan Harvey.
Cripps work combined fire, performance, machinery and sound. In his notes he writes “Sound: Physical air waves tangible visible” and” A speaker being subjected to extreme distortion throws out ball bearings onto percussion [instrument]”. He lived in a shed inside Butlers Wharf until a fire (believed to have been started as a way to clear the studios and claim insurance before the area was redeveloped) forced the artists to leave. He died in 1982 aged 29.
Stills from Jubilee, Derek Jarman, 1978, which was shot in and around Butlers Wharf and the surrounding area. Fire recurs as a theme, razing houses to the ground, forming ritualistic settings. Fire as burning Dionysion dreams, wild celebration and sacrifice, but also a vital element for vigil and survival.
Fire at Butler’s Wharf, 1979. Photograph Fran Cottell.
The fire that forced the artists to leave the studios, leaving the area to be redeveloped by Terrance Conran. Bermondsey was always on fire. In June 1861 there was a blaze called The Great Tooley Street Fire that raged for two whole weeks.
In March 1931 a huge fire ran through the warehouses coinciding with freezing weather. Water pumped onto the building from boats froze on contact creating a fantasy cocktail of smoke and ice.
