Episode 3 of ASSET ARREST's mini-series on culture-led housing looks at Bow Arts in London and their provision of 'affordable' housing for artists, which operates to a property-guardianship framework. I speak to artist Rab Harling (aka Balfron Social Club), an ex-resident of the flats they managed between 2007-14 at the iconic Balfron Tower - a brutalist tower block designed by Erno Goldfinger - in Poplar. He talks about his experience there and his ongoing fight against the artwashing and social cleansing that took place. I then hear from a current resident of the properties they currently manage in an estate in Thamesmead, which are planned for demolition within the next few years.
For more information:
https://rabharling.com/
https://balfronsocialclub.org/
https://novaramedia.com/2013/08/20/social-cleansing-in-tower-hamlets-interview-with-balfron-tower-evictee/
https://novaramedia.com/2023/08/04/its-a-scandal-how-property-developers-failed-to-sell-a-single-flat-in-balfron-tower/
