Ahead of LCF's move to East Bank, Love Letters to the Buildings celebrated the rich history of some of our key sites. The exhibition included site-responsive installations, items from the College archives, repurposed artwork and oral histories across five LCF sites; John Princes Street, Lime Grove, Curtain Road, Golden Lane and Mare Street.
The exhibition was led by Sal Pittman, LCF Archives and LCF Cultural Programme. Sal Pittman is a Visual Artist, Curator, Designer and Tutor at LCF, working across film, photography, performance and installation. Sal is the co-founder of Klanghaus, an award-winning installation and theatre umbrella which creates musical and artistic interventions in buildings which uses evaporating cinematic narratives, analogue and digital light and sound, projected film, site specific installation set pieces and promenade performance.
The exhibition included site-specific research and illustrations from students that reflected the history of the buildings, and sound design collaboration with Jonathon Baker (Klanghaus). It recycled the materials and machines from the buildings into beautiful artworks, curated and showcased treasures from the College archives and produced an oral history of the buildings to celebrate the memories they hold. Along with the archived materials, cherished moments served as the focal point of a series of tours that took place throughout June 2023.
The building was formerly known as Barrett Street Technical College and it opened as London College of Fashion in 1963. It was designed by the London County Council architectural group responsible for iconic buildings such as Southbank Centre, London College of Communication (formerly London College of Printing) and Thamesmead Estate.
Love Letters to the Buildings
John Princes Street
Lime Grove
The building was originally built for the Hammersmith College of Art. One of its oldest features is the mulberry tree in the courtyard which is believed to have been planted as a 10-year-old sapling in 1904, the year the building opened.
The building was originally the Cordwainers College, a specialist school for leather-working, shoemaking and saddlery, founded in 1887. In August 2000, Cordwainers College merged with LCF. Prior to that, it was a school with a playground on the roof where the children could play away from the smog that engulfed London.
Formerly a school for girls founded by Lady Eleanor Holles in 1710, it later became a part of the Cordwainers College and then LCF.
The building is named after the Curtain Theatre which opened in 1577. The theatre was home to some of Shakespeare's earliest plays and arguably the birthplace of modern theatre.
‘Love Letters to the Buildings’ delves into the rich history of our cherished buildings. Through extensive research in the LCF Archives and Library, as well as the exploration of special collections, films, and oral testimonies, we embark on a journey to understand the profound significance of these spaces.
From artist and curator Sal Pittman, an exhibition and series of tours celebrating the history of LCF and bids farewell to some of the current buildings ahead of our move to East Bank.