EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) is a major new arts venue within an Art Deco former cinema in Dalston, Hackney. The brief was to bring back to life the large abandoned theatre in the original upper auditorium and create a concert hall at ground level, as well as turning the original lobby spaces into EartH Kitchen, an all day Restaurant and Bar. The grand spaces were largely forgotten since the last film – Scaface- played in 1984, and the building was then split up and partially abandoned.

We were asked to create the interiors for the project bythe team behind Village Underground in Shoreditch. We worked to create a series of sympathetic and contemporary spaces within the existing building. A light touch refurbishment was applied to the theatre stripping back the layers to highlight the Art Deco features and creating new entrance experiences for both venues with characterful bathrooms to suite each space.

Both venues create completely unique experiences for performers and audiences alike, suiting a very broad range of programming that has ranged from conversation and discussion, to a broad spectrum of performances from Mulatu Astatke, Lianne La Havas, Leon Vynehall as well as hosting Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM 2nd Birthday. All photographs by Luke Hayes
