Cabinets of Curiosities | Shoreditch Design Triangle: Rich Mix x Allpress
Rich Mix
Rich Mix welcome the communities of the world in East London to create, enjoy and share culture.
Open since 2006, they are a charity that connects some of the city’s most adventurous and diverse audiences to a vital, exciting and ambitious programme of contemporary culture.
Rooted in the city but open to the world, Rich Mix champion diversity in everything they do. Their programme covers every genre imaginable – from live music, spoken word, theatre, dance, talks and visual art in the performance and exhibition spaces to independent films and blockbusters across their three-screen cinema. Through learning and participation programmes, Rich Mix develop and facilitate the creative potential of young people, families, children and wide-ranging communities from across East London.
Their commitment to diversity extends beyond their programme of events. A Shoreditch landmark, the Rich Mix building is home to 20+ of the city’s most socially progressive and innovative creative businesses and charities.
We asked the team what they felt made Shoreditch such a creative magnet.
How does creativity support and uplift your community?
Creativity is essential for creating space for everyone to express themselves and explore the world around us all.
How important is funding for creative projects for you specifically, and to communities in general?
Funding is vital for Rich Mix, because it allows us to empower creatives from all walks of life and cultures to connect and collaborate.
In your opinion, what is it about Shoreditch that makes it such a creative hot spot?
The diverse mix of people, cultures, ages and ideas that rub shoulders in Shoreditch.
Allpress
We asked Allpress about their history with Redchurch Street and how creativity and community go hand in hand.
Allpress Espresso has been roasting specialty coffee in NZ for over 30 years, however the our presence in the UK is much younger. We fell in love with this building on the corner of Club Row and Redchurch back in 2010, and were lucky to use it as a base to establish ourselves in the UK.
We’ve always been passionate about uniting independent thinkers, artists, makers and creators as we think their works influence, inform and inspire people on a universal level. Good coffee is a great catalyst to encourage their creativity, and in turn, good cafes are spaces where independent thinkers can unite and thrive off each other’s ideas. While the upper three floors of the building were used for wholesale ops, our café on the ground floor was always bustling with creatives, some of which still visit us in our scaled-back espresso bar today.
We feel incredibly privileged to have been a part of this community so far and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Cabinets of Curiosities is a project for Shoreditch Design Triangle, a cultural event that celebrates the creative industry in East London.
it was established in 2008 as a vehicle for the designers, companies, and institutions situated in the East End to collaborate on the promotion of their activities during the London Design Festival.
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