Atlantic Road © Luke O’Donovan
Rooted in Brixton’s creative and community-driven ethos, Views on the Atlantic was a meanwhile intervention by the local collective bafalw—comprising Bamidele Awoyemi, Farouk Agoro, and Livia Wang—in collaboration with Brixton Community Cinema. Conceived as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2023, the project emerged from the People at the Centre of Brixton competition, launched in February 2023 in partnership with the London Borough of Lambeth and Brixton BID. As winners of the competition, the team set out to craft a temporary yet impactful public space that celebrated reuse, adaptability, and collective engagement.
From the outset, Views on the Atlantic was designed with sustainability, circularity, and local economies in mind. The project not only created a unique public cinema experience in Brixton but also paved the way for an ongoing dialogue about how temporary architecture can have a lasting impact. Long after its month-long presence in Windrush Square and Atlantic Road, its materials and ethos continue to shape new spaces and creative endeavours across London.
A Framework for Circularity
Understanding the logistical challenges of working in busy urban environments, the structure of Views on the Atlantic was built using standardised scaffolding elements. This choice was deliberate—not just for ease of installation and deconstruction but also to ensure the components could seamlessly reintegrate into the local construction ecosystem. Once the project concluded, the scaffolding was dismantled and returned to the yard, ready to be repurposed for future building projects across London and beyond. By minimising site disruption and avoiding invasive fixings, the project left no trace behind—only memories.
Local Craftsmanship and Community-Driven Reuse
Material reuse was not an afterthought but a fundamental principle of the project. Seating and decking boards, crafted and installed by The Remakery—a Brixton-based cooperative dedicated to repurposing surplus materials—were designed for easy disassembly. Post-event, these plywood boards returned to The Remakery’s inventory, ensuring they would find new life in other community-driven projects.
Windrush Square © Luke O’Donovan
Similarly, fabric elements used for sun screening were sourced from Top Gift Fabric Ltd, a well-known African textile shop in Brixton Market. These textiles, along with tarpaulin covers and bungee tie fixings, were carefully stored for reuse. Rather than being discarded, they have since been repurposed in Atlas Cinema, a pop-up cinema designed and self-built in a disused railway arch in Loughborough Junction. This approach extends the impact of Views on the Atlantic, allowing its spirit of community engagement and creative reuse to thrive in new settings.
Sustainable Practices in Technology and Energy Use
To align with the project’s sustainability goals, all audiovisual equipment—including projectors, speakers, and portable power sources—was rented rather than purchased. This not only reduced electronic waste but also maximised the service life of the equipment, minimising the need for new production and reducing associated carbon emissions. By opting for a battery-powered station instead of a fuel generator, the project avoided contributing to air pollution and noise, ensuring a more pleasant experience for audiences and the surrounding community.
Beyond the Festival: A Lasting Influence
The materials and learnings from Views on the Atlantic have continued to shape design projects across London. The repurposed elements have featured in Atlas Cinema, offering a tangible link between creative initiatives, while the ethos of reuse and unexpected space was carried forward in Made Without Permission, an exhibition in Peckham that celebrated a culture of occupying and intervening in their shared spaces by ‘making it themselves’ – greatly influenced by the different diasporas and communities that come together in our city.
Atlas Cinema, Loughborough Junction © Bamidele Awoyemi
Even now, remnants of the project—including tarpaulin, printed fabrics, and fixings—are stored for future use or passed on to other artists and community groups. In this way, Views on the Atlantic lives on, not just as a past installation but as an evolving resource, demonstrating the potential of sustainable design to foster new cultural and architectural expressions.
A Continuing Conversation
By embedding reuse into every aspect of its design, Views on the Atlantic has set a precedent for future temporary installations, showing how architecture can be both ephemeral and enduring. It proves that, with thoughtful planning and community collaboration, temporary structures can leave a lasting legacy—one that continues to enrich local spaces, inspire new projects, and contribute to a more sustainable future for urban design.
