Panel discussion: (Un)affordable Housing, Regeneration and “Artwashing”

PANEL DISCUSSION

(Un)affordable Housing, Regeneration and “Artwashing”
Friday 24th October, 19.00 – 19.45
Canvas and Cream Cafe, Forest Hill
https://www.canvasandcream.com/

Dr Sofia Greaves, Dr Anna Pagani, Prof. Paul Watt, Amanda Eatwell, and member of Bow Arts

This panel discussion held at the "Private View" of exhibition "(Un)Affordable Housing" will discuss findings from research investigating artists' experiences of affordable housing provided by Bow Arts Charity in Thamesmead, and the impact that artists have by living and working there. In Thamesmead, artists are housed by Bow Arts in end-of-life properties previously vacated by Peabody, at affordable rates.

Our discussion will introduce Thamesmead, Bow Arts and overview the regeneration project enacted by Peabody. We will then focus on two connected issues: artists’ rights to an affordable, dependable home, and the accusation of “art washing”. Activists and residents have claimed that Peabody and Bow Arts are committing “art washing”: when developers or housing associations use art, culture, and community events to hide or soften the violence of regeneration, displacement, and demolition.

The exhibition of research seeks to make issues transparent, to bring Thamesmead into dialogue with concurrent housing issues and injustices across South East London, and to open up a space for critical thinking and dialogue.

There will be time for questions, opinions and space for people to leave written comments in a suggestion box. After the panel, the exhibition will be open to the public for six weeks, for free.

Thankyou to Canvas and Cream for offering this space at affordable rates. There will be a bar and music. Canvas & Cream is a friendly, independent restaurant & café in the heart of Forest Hill offering breakfast, brunch and lunch 7 days a week.

PANELISTS

Dr Sofia Greaves is an artist and researcher, an associate of LSE Cities and British Academy grant holder. Her research focuses on artists and their impact in urban planning and scientific research processes. She holds a Phd in the history of urban planning and Fascism from the University of Cambridge (ERC). For her artwork and research, see Instagram @sofiagreaves

Amanda Eatwell

Amanda is an artist and guardian working in Thamesmead. She is a documentary and fine art photographer whose work explores human connection, societal shifts, and the subtle narratives within everyday life. Alongside her personal projects, Amanda takes on commissioned work, primarily collaborating with charities and third-sector organisations. Amanda’s photographs of the Lesnes estate are included in the (un)affordable housing exhibition. See https://www.amandaeatwell.com/

Paul Watt is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science, and Emeritus Professor at Birkbeck, University of London. He has published widely on social housing, urban regeneration, homelessness, housing activism, gentrification, and the 2012 London Olympic Games. His most recent book is: Estate Regeneration and Its Discontents: Public Housing, Place and Inequality in London (Policy Press, 2021): https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/estate-regeneration-and-its-discontents

Dr Anna Pagani

Anna is a Senior Lecturer in Engineering at King’s College London and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources. Her research, teaching, and engagement lie at the intersection of systems thinking, housing justice, and degrowth. She engages stakeholders in co-designing systemic interventions to achieve housing for all within planetary boundaries. Anna has engaged with key players in the English social housing sector to map the systemic issues of social housing provision, collect perspectives on what constitutes healthy, sustainable, and just housing, and discuss possible ways to transform the current system towards that goal. Anna has studied and worked in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, China, and the UK. She is a member of the Post-growth Planning cluster of the UCL Bartlett School of Planning, and of the Postgrowth Cities Coalition. In 2025, she joined the multidisciplinary built environment think tank ‘The Edge’. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/anna-pagani

Further reading

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/aug/04/a-clockwork-orange-estate-fights-art-washing-redevelopment-lakeside-centre-thamesmead-london

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68788065

TRANSPORT

From Thamesmead the easiest way to get to Forest Hill is to take the Elizabeth line to Whitechapel and then change to the Windrush line Southbound (Crystal Palace service, not Clapham Junction service). The cafe, "Canvas and Cream", is a 5 min walk up the road opposite the station, and hyper linked below. The journey takes about an hour.

Canvas & Cream is a friendly, independent restaurant & café in the heart of Forest Hill offering breakfast, brunch and lunch 7 days a week.

https://www.canvasandcream.com/