The end of July saw the curtain call for our summer programme of culture and creativity at Assembly, the Fleet Street Quarter’s pop-up amphitheatre, that was celebrated as the City of London’s first modern amphitheatre in 2,000 years. Nestled in the historic Maughan Library Courtyard of King’s College London, this innovative space was created by Urban Radicals, AKT II, and Millimetre for the London Festival of Architecture 2024. With this installation, Fleet Street Quarter sought to provide a unique cultural hub for workers, visitors and residents to enjoy free performances, workshops, talks, film screenings and more.
The amphitheatre’s debut in June was marked by a captivating performance from YAMATO: The Drummers of Japan, who presented their new show ‘Hinotori – The Wings of Phoenix’. This dynamic Taiko drumming act, brought to the venue by Sadler’s Wells, set an energetic tone and saw Assembly featured in the press, including stories in The Times and Time Out.
Throughout its run, Assembly hosted a variety of free performances, talks, screenings, and workshops. These events included an original production play by Troubadour Stageworks, ‘Fix the Folio’, commission by the Fleet Street Quarter last year to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio. Troubadour also brought their performance of Shakespeare classic, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, to the Quarter for the first time with the closing night of the run being the final bow for this summer’s programme at the amphitheatre.
Artist Bella Gomez led art workshops, offering participants a chance to engage with bold and expressive surface pattern design and printing. Participants utilised stencils to create four unique postcards that celebrated British design heritage from the Barbican to the former Daily Express Building to the Anglepoise Lamp! Assembly also hosted a report launch from the Law Students for Climate Accountability, as well as historical lectures from Dr. Johnson’s House provided insights into the life and works of Samuel Johnson.
The amphitheatre featured a screening of ‘Young Soul Rebels’, Isaac Julien’s cult classic film, a gripping tale of racial, sexual, and political tensions in the late 1970s. Fleet Street Quarter’s first-ever public listening party was also held, with DJ DDQ’s set tracing the history of dance music in London, from early sound system culture to groundbreaking genres of the 90s and beyond. Samantha Hardingham delivered a fascinating talk discussing Cedric Price’s visionary ‘Pop-Up Parliament’ project, exploring the intersection of architecture, politics, and participatory democracy which was delivered one-week after the 2024 UK General Election.
With this installation, we we’re able to create a space that fostered a sense of community and celebrated the area’s rich cultural heritage, whilst also providing a free-to-use public performance and debate space. Assembly is designed to be inclusive and accessible, seating 50 guests and being fully wheelchair accessible.
Assembly was open in the Maughan Library Courtyard from 11 June – 31 July 2024.
