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WORDS Malibongwe Tyilo PHOTOS Sydelle Willow Smith

Lees in Afrikaans.

For creative professionals, like many of our readers, the perfect workspace is not the conventional airbrushed office. Instead location, neighbours, edginess and authenticity are more important in ensuring that the surroundings continue to inspire. VISI visited Side Street Studios in Woodstock to see what has drawn some of the city’s finest designers and artists. 

The rise of Albert Road in Woodstock as the place to work, eat and shop for designers, artisans, thing-makers and those who love them, is no longer breaking news. You’ve probably already heard of the Woodstock Foundry, and the indie designer shops and Superette at the Woodstock Exchange, the list goes on… Yet there’s always a new place opening up, and most are unique, grabbing our attention again, demanding that we go back and brave Albert Road taxi traffic and hip young city things on single-gear bikes. The development of Side Street Studios is another such occasion.

Essentially Side Street Studios mopped up the designers who left the Woodstock Industrial Centre when it started changing into Woodstock Exchange. Situated on the corner of Station and Albert road, it is just a block down. Organically it grew support and, even before its own renovation and name change, the Side Street Studios was quickly filled with celebrated artists including Barend de Wet, Stuart Bird and Faith47. Design residents include Kraftisan and Thingking – the latter kept a foot in both camps, with showroom in the Woodstock Exchange and workshop in Side Street Studios.

In its new cleaned up incarnation, Side Street Studios is now also home to a selection of spaces that invite the general public to participate, look, maybe buy a book, coffee or artwork, even get hot and sweaty in a capoeira class.

From the street, the first thing you’ll notice is a massive, brightly coloured mural by Madrid-based artist Oscar San Biguel, which fits in well with the graffiti culture of the area, while also introducing a fresh aesthetic. That’s not the last you’ll see either, go inside the building’s courtyard and there’s more murals to feast your eyes.

While you’re at it, pop into Let There Be Light studio, home to conceptual artist Nix Davies. It is a “changing space that has the ability to be whatever you can imagine it to be”. No really, it has been used as a gallery, workshop, lecture room, movie theatre, kitchen, nursery and a restaurant, and Nix is on hand to help towards the realisation of different projects within the space.

However, it’s not just about the permanent structures. Side Street Studios has also been home to pop-ups, weekly events and once-off exhibitions that are constantly finding new ways to use the space. Cape Town’s Yang Zhao has used it to host her increasingly popular pop-up dim sum nights, Beijing Opera. Photographer Max Mogale hosted an exhibition of various artists that made use of the walls and passages on all the floors of the building.

The most recent semi-permanent happening is Busk Tuesdays, which sees three emerging creatives (musicians, poets and artists) invited to perform in a raw environment. It’s free and patrons are encouraged to embrace and support the music by giving them money.

It’s this open-ended approach to creativity of Side Street Studios that has captured our imagination and kept us going back. That and the promise that every time we go back, between this building, covered in and housing art, and the people that frequent it, we’re bound to see something that will inspire us. 

Side Street Studios, 48 Albert Road, Woodstock, info@sidestreet.co.za.

Get VISI 66 The Office for some of the other inspiring workspaces that we found or view others online.