Chatham gets an Art Junction
Plus wrestling in Rainham, new Rats Bay mural, Silents Synched, we review Padrino, our weekly events guide, news in brief, and more.
A new community arts space has opened in Chatham, replacing the former Café Nucleus Lounge that abruptly closed earlier this year. We’ve been finding out more. Further down, we visit pro wrestling in Rainham, look at the new mural in Rats Bay, take in an experimental silent film mashup, review Padrino in Rochester, and put together our pick of the week’s events. Let’s get to it.
Chatham gets an Art Junction
Earlier this year, the Café Nucleus Lounge on Military Road in Chatham suddenly and surprisingly closed. With the support of Nucleus Arts, the venue has been taken over and has become Art Junction. We speak to Sofia Macmullen about her plans for the space…
Art Junction is a community space where “people can come and do arts and crafts and spend some time out of the house and have a cup of tea,” says Sofia. All the crafts and materials are available to buy there, and there is no need to book. “It’s a drop-in space for people to come and maybe meet other people and socialise.” Drop in services run on Mondays and Wednesdays between 10am and 4pm and on Saturdays between 1pm and 5pm.
Art Junction operates out of the former Café Nucleus Lounge on Military Road in Chatham. “It was a project I wanted to do, the space was available, and I nagged David (Stokes) until he let me do it.” Sofia felt the space was something that she would like to access as a parent, “somewhere people can come with their kids.” Craft packs start at 20p, with some packs £1, with the most expensive at £8. “The idea is to keep it affordable.”
The space is somewhere you can come with a pound, sit down for an hour with a cup of tea and craft, “then that’s it, you have achieved something that day.” Sofia is aware that space hire can be increasingly expensive. “What I wanted is to have a community space, and people can hire the space to do different groups.” They currently host a chess club on a Wednesday (5.30-7pm), and they run a Dungeons and Dragons club for over 18s on Tuesdays (6-8pm).
There is a back room available for hire on the drop-in days. “The only thing that people need to take into account is that people need to go through that room to go to the toilet.” If that isn’t a deal breaker, then speak to Sofia to hire the space as “I’m not using that back room at the moment.” The front room is available for hire when drop-ins or other clubs are not running.
Since launching in July, it has received a positive response, though there is room for growth. “Obviously, it’s not as busy as Rochester, but hopefully soon it will be. People just need to know we’re here.” They also have a little shop at the front, and “we have some of the Get Ready artists selling their stuff here as well. It’s part of the same people, just trying to keep it community-based and helping local people with getting ahead and selling their art.”
People still come in, thinking that it is a café space. “I’m to blame because I still haven’t got rid of the sign at the front.” Outside of a good but basic tea or coffee, there are no café or food servings available. “My idea is that it’s used for community projects or creative projects, and I’m hopefully, soon, starting to run workshops as well. I do have it booked for the end of December for a wreath-making workshop and a table decoration.” - Steven Keevil
If you want to use Art Junction for your group or event, you can contact Sofia via email, artjunction(AT)gmail(DOT)com, “or they can come and just have a chat.” - Steven Keevil
Wrestling returns to Rainham
Parkwood Community Centre packed a hugely entertaining punch with an afternoon of pro-wrestling, where the passion for the sport was apparent, fuelled by an attentive audience eager for the action to begin. To say I enjoyed it more than expected is a bit of an understatement, as I was quickly pulled into the theatricality of the event. Although initially it can feel like pantomime (oh yes it can), you soon realise the precision and physicality that are required from the pros, all underpinned with a pinch of panache.
The setup itself is impressive with a WWE sized ring, multi-coloured lighting and lively music to build up the energy. MC Clark Andrews wasted no time in warming up the crowd of all ages, many of whom had been before and knew the drill. After reiterating the very sensible ‘don’t try this at home’ and ‘remain seated for your own safety’ advice, audience interactions were encouraged, the kids instructed to be as loud as possible, and various heckles, such as ‘Temu He-Man’ and comparing one of the wrestlers, Fentos, to a Fray Bentos pie, only enhanced the fun atmosphere.
Indeed, each wrestler has a distinct look with the most memorable entrance coming from fan favourite Prince Dean, who strutted into the ring sporting neon yellow chaps over very fetching zebra print leggings, a fluorescent pink crown and heart-shaped goggles, all backed up by a bubble blowing machine.
Each match wove its own story, and like the best ones, you were kept on your toes, with the end result not necessarily the one expected. Showing my age by recalling Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends, it would be a disservice to the skill on display to suggest each move is merely staged, as when sitting ringside, the sound of each slam on the canvas floor resonates across the room and echoes through spectators’ bones. And let’s not forget the smashes, crashes and twisted moustaches – unsurprisingly, with wrestlers flying out the ring and being jumped on from height, injuries can happen and aches felt once adrenaline has worn off. Although there is a focus on family-friendly fun, almost any body part is fair game, with nipples, fingers and other extremities all in the line of fire.
There seems to be a symbiotic relationship between the wrestlers and their audience, strikingly noticeable during the combatants’ swaggering around the ring before each match kicks off, mouthing off insults to anyone daring to spout off a spot of shade, while soaking up each exchange.
The finale brought the feel-good factor thanks to the tag team event righting an earlier wrong, and with a bonus appearance from the legendary Mama Andrews, everyone could leave happy. Pro wrestling in Parkwood provided a fun few hours, full of professionalism, passion and personalities. I can’t wait to return ringside before too long. - Anne-Marie Jordan
Find out more about UKPW here, and you can read our interview with co-promoter Alex Gilbert.
Story of Water at Rats Bay
A magnificent hand-painted mural has been unveiled across the front façade of the Rats Bay Pumping Station. The stunning Story of Water, at over 20 metres long and consisting of 612 hand-painted ceramic tiles, was created by artists Nicole Mollett and José den Hartog to depict across the ages, the pivotal impact the river has played – and continues to – in the lives of Chatham and Medway residents.
With research undertaken at Medway Archives, Greenwich Maritime Museum and Chatham Historic Dockyard, the striking images reflect the area’s strong connections to maritime heritage, historical and cultural figures and mythical tales, all underpinned by a recognition of the influence of the River Medway on ‘both the landscape and local identity.’ This love letter to this stretch of water, and its inescapable importance across all of Medway, is a beautiful legacy, and with over 600 tiles to choose from, take time to find a favourite. - Anne-Marie Jordan
Review: Silents Synced
The Odeon at Chatham Dockside recently screened the first ‘Silent Synced,’ a new approach created by independent cinema owner Josh Frank, where classic silent cinema films are paired with modern music to bestow a unique big screen experience on new audiences. The first in a planned series was Radiohead X Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, which resurrected FW Murnau’s 1922 vampire classic Nosferatu and paired it with the seminal Kid A and Amnesiac from the turn of this century.
Now, I am a great believer in giving something a go, however, the relentlessly ear-splitting soundtrack, ironically unsynced to specific scenes, meant this modern-day mash-up missed the mark for me, and rather than providing an enhanced experience, I felt like I had been shouted at non-stop for the entirety of the film. Rather than varying the intensity of the music or even allowing there to be moments of silence or quiet contemplation, the albums were allowed to just blare out, so inevitably, the tracks did not match the mood or intention of the scenes on screen. Like never before, I took on board the importance of, and skill in, scoring for a specific moment or movie.
With amped up visuals and a full soundtrack, there were no lulls to allow the audience to absorb the story, empathise with the characters or even take a breath – and with a film like Nosferatu, I was surprised that they didn’t even try to shoehorn in one of Radiohead’s better known tracks, Creep. The chase scene, now overplayed with VERY LOUD music, reminded me of a Benny Hill sketch, which removed all sense of peril and properly pulled me out of the film. It was like the projectionist had received the wrong soundtrack, but popped it on regardless. Thus, in an attempt to multitask, simultaneously watching a film and listening to music, neither is done especially well.
I also realised that in my bid to abide by Simon and Mayo and Mark Kermode’s Code of Conduct, I need more practice at writing notes in the dark, as I could only just decipher some of my scrawls once returned to the light, which, somewhat appropriately, reflected my jarred and out-of-sorts state at the end of proceedings.
However, any new attempt to encourage new audiences to attend cinemas should be applauded. Although this innovative idea was not matched in its execution, I am still tempted to give the next Silents Synced – Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr. and R.E.M.’s Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi – a go. But this time, I will be armed with my Loop earplugs and lowered expectations. - Anne-Marie Jordan
Out for Dinner: Padrino
Medway is home to dozens of pizza places, from chains to individual joints that serve you pizza whilst you vape. Is there a place to go and sit down and enjoy a pizza? Is Padrino that place?
Padrino has a prominent site at the end of Rochester High Street, which is confusing because they have moved into the spacious location of the former Rochester Bar across the road. The other important detail to note is that they are closed on Wednesdays, so don’t plan on going there then, like this writer did.
Having got to the right venue on the right day, I was greeted by friendly staff and shown to my table in what is a large venue. I ordered the ‘special pizza’ on the chalkboard, not from the menu like a sucker. The ultimate meat feast, with pomodoro, fior di latte (flower of the milk, for those that don’t speak Italian), i.e. mozzarella, pepperoni, ground beef, salsiccia (sausage, I don’t speak Italian) and Nduja.
What is considered a reasonable price for a pizza these days? This pizza was delicious and generously portioned. I also had a delightful caramel cheesecake for dessert. The final bill was reasonably high, but excellent value based on flavour and atmosphere. - Steven Keevil
Events this week
🖤 Sat 18 Oct - Broken Heart Bazaar // Halloween edition of regular alternative market. Sun Pier House, Chatham. Free.
🪖 18 - 19 Oct - Medway History Showcase // An action-packed day of engagement inspired by Medway’s trade, travel, and settlement history. Royal Engineers Museum, Gillingham. Free.
🥕 Sun 19 Oct - Rochester Farmers’ Market // Wide range of traders selling food and gifts. Blue Boar Lane car park, Rochester. Free.
🖥️ 24 - 26 Oct - Electric Medway Festival: Aurora // Showcase of high-quality digital art made within the community. Various locations. Free.
More Authority
Ahead of our Local Democracy Café event next week, Steven dug into the things that can impact happiness and pondered how much control we can have over some of them. He also talks to Medway Council leader Vince Maple about the council's role in the happiness of its residents.
What makes Medway happy?
The Local Democracy Café is our new live forum to discuss issues and possible solutions facing Medway. Next week is our first discussion: Can Medway make you happy? This week, Steven looks into the concept of happiness, what role, if any, the state should have in yours and then speaks to the Leader of the Council, Vince Maple.
Footnotes
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Great edition this week. Well done.