The Art of Activation: Turning Empty Space into Shared Capital

In conversation with Lucy Bullivant Hon FRIBA, Trustee, Temple Bar London, Cole will discuss how the charity boosts the value of culture-led meanwhile use to urban placemaking research and development. Through examples she will illuminate how Hypha, under her leadership, brings about more informed, inclusive and resilient long-term urban development.

By resourcefully deploying vacant spaces as platforms for innovation and live test beds for future policy Hypha Studios brings together art, real estate and ESG, articulating a new language of shared value. Cole will talk about how Hypha’s work builds equitable, mutual benefits between artists, landlords and communities, moving beyond yield and rent as measures of success. She will advocate for footfall, engagement and visibility as metrics of both social and economic capital, arguing that the most resilient urban assets are those that generate both financial and experiential returns. Her proposition is that the next phase of urban innovation comes not from what we construct, but from how we activate what’s already there.

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RESOURCE LINKS

Web : hyphastudios.com

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SPEAKER BIO

Camilla Cole is the Founder and CEO of Hypha Studios, an arts charity she established during the pandemic to revitalise high streets across the UK. With a background as an experienced contemporary art curator, Cole's model involves brokering relationships between landlords and artists to repurpose vacant properties. Hypha Studios provides artists with free space for their work in exchange for hosting free, community-focused events for residents. The organisation operates across England, Scotland and Wales, championing emerging artistic talent and bringing culture and community engagement to empty high street units.

Prior to founding Hypha Studios, Camilla spent over twenty years in the contemporary art world, managing galleries in Mayfair and private art collections, and working as an independent curator under the name Cole Projects. This earlier curatorial work often involved exhibiting emerging artists in disused spaces and directly informed the innovative concept behind Hypha Studios.

The talk is chaired by Lucy Bullivant Hon FRIBA, Trustee, Temple Bar Trust.

Please note: Temple Bar will be open for ticket holders from 18:05, please arrive in good time to be checked in and seated by 18:20. Our public talks start at promptly at 18:25.

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Image carousel:
- Hypha Studios exhibition in former cafe, Euston
- Hypha Studios exhibition, Newham
- Hypha Studios exhibition, Stratford