At the centre of Copeland Park sits Copeland Gallery, our large, 5-room, white-walled traditional gallery space. At the other end of the site, located on Copeland Road, is a gallery space which offers something completely different. Safehouse 1 & 2 are a pair of derelict Victorian houses that have been intentionally stripped back, offering a unique backdrop for South London’s art scene to play with.

The Safehouses are run by Maverick Projects, an artist-led organisation founded by Jo Dennis and Dido Hallett, who both have a personal connection to Copeland Park having previously held artist studios in the Bussey Building after studying at Goldsmiths. “We have been part of the local fabric for over twenty years and felt a responsibility to help put these local buildings to good use.”

The goal with Maverick Projects was to take on forgotten or derelict historic buildings and breathe new life into them, transforming them into unique venues for exhibitions, parties, events, filming, and weddings.

This began in 2010 with work at the Asylum Chapel in Peckham and has grown into a multi-venue operation with the team currently running AMP Gallery, AMP Studios, Asylum Chapel, Safehouse 1 & 2, and their newest addition, The Old Waiting Room at Peckham Rye Station.

Jo and Dido’s decades of residencies have fostered a deep connection to the local arts ecology, “it’s our grassroots perspective that has allowed us to grow”, and their history as local artists and residents has ensured that their work remains deeply rooted in the neighbourhood, freed from outside influences.

A core part of Maverick Project’s mission is keeping hire costs low to ensure that their venues remain accessible and affordable for artists and art students to show their work, alongside hosting more commercial projects to facilitate this.

The Safehouses calendar is a mix of end-of-year shows from Goldsmiths, UAL (Chelsea, Camberwell, Wimbledon, Central Saint Martins) & The RCA, alongside music video and film shoots, including British drama series Top Boy.

Programming like this creates a great chance to see the work of up and coming artists, “The Art Cub Collective for example was a very fun and refreshing exhibition,” as well as working with more established artists and organisations such as BLINK and Peckham 24 – the latter featuring Baud Postma’s incredible sand installation in Safehouse 2.

This way of working also sits in line with Jo and Dido’s vision stemming from their fine art and curatorial backgrounds. Rather than following a path of traditional renovation, they preserve the history of a building by leaving crumbling paintwork and raw textures intact. “We provide a raw, stripped-back environment that honors a building’s past.” In Safehouse 1 & 2, the weathered Victorian aesthetic has been kept, letting the spaces evolve over time. Unlike polished commercial spaces, these venues offer a unique, atmospheric canvas specifically designed to support experimental creative work.

The pair plan to further develop their AMP (Asylum and Maverick Projects) venues to provide more space for the local arts scene, continuing to identify and save forgotten spaces before they are lost to redevelopment. “Ultimately, we are committed to ensuring Peckham remains a place where independent artists can actually afford to work and exhibit.”

You can find Safehouse 1 & 2 on Copeland Road and learn more about the venue and Maverick Projects here.

You can also follow Maverick Projects, Jo Dennis and Dido Hallet on Instagram and see upcoming events on the Copeland Park website here.