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Guess Who's Back? |
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On Thursday 19th August 2004, Cambridge's leading contemporary performing arts organisation, The Junction, will open the doors of its Clifton Way venue to the public following an extensive 18 week refurbishment programme. The reopening of the venue marks a significant step towards completing the first phase of The Junction's £5.4 million lottery redevelopment supported by Arts Council England.
Major improvements at The Junction include a massive new ventilation system in the main auditorium, which is newly named THE STRIPE, plus air cooling in the chill out bar, new floor surfaces, new technical infrastructure and lift access to the first floor.
Audiences, artists, participants and staff will enjoy major new benefits as nearly all areas of the venue have been upgraded, improved and redecorated.
Principal sponsor, Charles Wells Brewery, has committed to a five-year sponsorship package through Red Stripe lager which will help The Junction realise its ambitious future plans. Justin Horsman, Red Stripe Brand Manager explained "Charles Wells is proud to support The Junction's work and to be associated with The Stripe and the high quality of performances it will host. Red Stripe has a close affinity with emerging talent and we look forward to working with The Junction as it embarks on an exciting new phase of arts development in Cambridge."
Since opening in 1990 The Junction has worked to realise the vision of the group of young people who set it in motion. It has gained a national reputation for presenting bands and clubs and has supported entrepreneurial young promoters by providing administrative, technical and financial backing. However, the current lottery redevelopment means The Junction will have the potential to go much further over the next 10 years.
Paul Bogen, The Junction's Artistic and Executive Director, commented "I think of The Junction as a 'factory of ideas'. We've become a successful 'retailer' of arts events and now our vision for 2005 is to increasingly become a 'designer', 'manufacturer' and 'distributor' of arts. We aim to support the emergence of new talent and to increasingly give momentum to the commissioning and creation of a style of performance that cuts across live music, theatre, clubs, contemporary dance and new technology."
Three new spaces are due to open at The Junction's Clifton Way site in Spring 2005 – the first is a theatre, the second is an education space for participatory work including workshops and classes, and the third is an arts & new technology laboratory. These spaces, like the upgraded STRIPE, have been designed to cater for high levels of creativity and innovation. All spaces have been designed with flexible technical infrastructures that will allow artists to experiment with different performance styles and lighting designs and to easily integrate new technology.
Robin Townley, The Junction's Director of Development, commented "A great deal of thought has gone into ensuring that the new technical infrastructure genuinely gives us the best chance of supporting the young artists of tomorrow. We don't know what the next form of live performance to emerge might be, but we have built in as much flexibility as possible to ensure that we will be equipped to support it."
The 4 month refurbishment has been completed as planned, in good time for The Junction's autumn season - the time of year when most bands are available to play.
Robin Townley added "The teamwork between our architects Plowman Brown, builders SDC, the theatre and technical consultants we have used, our sponsors Charles Wells and The Junction’s staff, has been outstanding and has made delivery possible against a tight schedule. It gives me great confidence that the new theatre and education spaces will also open on schedule in March 2005."
Editor's Notes
The refurbished Junction - Features
The new auditorium floor will encourage keen dancers to shine by providing sufficient 'grip without stick'. The floor material was tested by a freestyle salsa dancer before purchase and has been imported from Switzerland. It is made from rubber granules.
The new ventilation system is capable of pumping 11 litres of air per person per second. That’s to say, 11,000 litres of air will be extracted and replenished every second during capacity events at The Junction. The giant stainless steel duct which now exits the building at roof level looks set to become a landmark feature of the new Cambridge Leisure development site. This feature will ensure that 100% more fresh air will now circulate the spaces during hot club and gig events.
The 12m x 12m lighting truss secured under the ceiling of The Stripe can support up to 6 tons of lighting and sound equipment. This will greatly increase lighting design possibilities and ease of operation in the main auditorium at The Junction. New staging will be flexible and modular allowing for greater variety of set ups and quick and easy turnarounds.
The upstairs chill out room will now benefit from dedicated air-cooling, making it the perfect place to recuperate after a long spell of dancing. It has been completely redesigned with a new bar, comfortable seating and low level ambient lighting making it a calmer, quieter, cooler space in contrast to the main auditorium.
Further improvements include:
* A new covered outdoor queuing area to protect customers in the case of rain
* Enlarged foyer, box office counter and cloakroom to speed up searches, ID checks and ticket purchase and to ensure every customer's coat and personal effects may be stored safely
* More than double the number of female toilets. Customers will be greatly relieved.
* Extended bar counters allowing for more bar staff and faster service
* Mechanical lifts making the upstairs bar and office accessible to anybody with restricted mobility
4 phase redevelopment
The first phase of The Junction’s redevelopment which is currently on-going is the refurbishment and upgrading of existing Junction spaces and the parallel construction of a brand new purpose-built theatre and dance auditorium and new technology laboratory. This will be followed by the construction of the education room in the second phase.
Third and fourth phases, which will require significant extra fundraising, will involve the construction of two 24 hour rehearsal rooms for bands and MCs/DJs, followed by the creation of a second 200 capacity auditorium for local bands and DJs.
Funding
The Junction's redevelopment project has been made possible by funding from Arts Council England, Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District council, Charles Wells Brewery, Turnstone Estates and Arts & Business.
Plowman Brown Architects
Plowman Brown Architects was formed by the two partners, Mary Plowman and Malcolm Brown, in 1997. The partners have a wide range of experience of arts, commercial, and residential projects.
In addition to the Junction, the practice is presently working on an Early Years Centre; offices, workshop, and storage accommodation for a theatrical costumier; offices for a disability charity,
all in central London; residential accommodation for a children's charity in Cambridge, and numerous private residential projects. For more information about the practice, please see www.plowmanbrown.com
Builders SDC of Bedford
SDC have considerable experience in refurbishment and fit-out and take on many ‘Design and Build’ projects in the industrial and commercial sector. Teamwork and a collaborative “can do” ethic has long been recognised as hallmarks of the SDC culture. Recent SDC projects include a Chinese Mission in Milton Keynes, a Research Centre for Aston Martin Lagonda, several schools, a leisure complex and an extension to Weetabix premises.
The early vision of Cambridge Venue Group
The Junction was established as a result of local protest by young people about the lack of suitable entertainment in the city. They formed the Cambridge Venue Group (CVG) in the mid-1980s and lobbied for support from Cambridge City Council which allowed them to move forward the idea of a new venue. Cambridge Venue Group’s stated aims in 1990 were ‘to provide an acceptable venue for all the young people of Cambridge… somewhere for young people to meet and pursue their mutual cultural interests’. The venue would ‘bring outstanding arts and leisure activities to Cambridge and provide opportunities for people to experience a wide variety of performing arts both as audience and performers… enabling enterprising young people to develop new cultural businesses.’ In keeping with this original vision, the New Junction will include spaces where young artists can learn skills, rehearse and produce new work.
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For more press information, photography or interviews contact: Gordon Glass on 01223 57 8000 or email gordon@junction.co.uk
For more information about The Junction see www.junction.co.uk
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