Space for creativity to thrive.
Space for creativity to thrive.
We are collaborating with creative practitioners, businesses, existing spaces and grassroots organisations to develop a network of creative spaces in Dundee. The goal of Hapworks is to secure long term space driven by the needs of the creative community which facilitates collaboration, makes the sector visible and valued, and demonstrates its potential.
Hapworks_00 is a pilot creative coworking and event space occupying and animating a vacant unit at 7 Castle Street in Dundee City Centre.
Working in partnership with Dundee City Council, the first pilot phase ran from Thu 22 Feb to Thu 2 May 2024. Across 10 weeks there were over 200 visits to the space for coworking, including 67 unique passholders, and 13 events brought an additional 400 people into the space.
Although daily coworking has finished to allow time to work on next steps, this summer we will continue to offer creative event space, further coworking opportunities, and a place to be involved in the development of the wider Hapworks project.
While daily coworking takes a pause for the summer, come along to Hapworks_00 on our monthly Coworking Days to work alongside others and make new connections. These more structured coworking days will offer opportunities to meet others, share what you do and find out more about Hapworks.
The space is available to hire for events and workshops. Drop us an email to discuss availability and hire costs. We know there are limited spaces for individuals to make things happen in the city. Therefore reduced rates are available for freelancers, self-employed creatives, students and informal groups.
Access to space remains a key barrier for creative practitioners and businesses to establish, sustain, and develop their practice or businesses in Dundee. Hapworks is made up of creative practitioners, businesses and organisations based in the city who are working collaboratively to advocate and negotiate for better access to space for creativity.
Since February 2023 Creative Dundee has engaged with more than 390 creative practitioners, business, grassroots organisations and existing creative spaces through a series of public events, conversations, and workshops to understand what is needed for creative space in the city. In October 2023 we launched Hapworks to share and develop this vision.
Hapworks has been enabled by Creative Dundee with support from Creative Scotland’s Recovery Fund for Cultural Organisations and Dundee City Council’s Vacant to Vibrant initiative.
Tell us what you need.
We actively want to involve creative communities and existing spaces in the development of this vision. Working together we have a more impactful voice and are better able to share knowledge, experiences, resources and networks.
If you are a creative practitioner, organisation or business, help us advocate for more creative spaces and inform our future work by telling us what creative space you need through events and workshops.
Buy a coworking pass for Hapworks_00. Keep in touch and join our mailing list.
Support us with your skills.
We are looking for people and organisations that want to be involved in new ways of working and can support us as part of an advisory group with expertise in fundraising, property acquisition, planning, and law.
If you can offer your skills, please get in touch.
Work with us.
Financial investment and property is required to develop and realise this vision. Do you want to help create new economic opportunities for the creative sector? Demonstrate new and innovative models for vacant spaces and invest in the future of Dundee?
We would love to work with you, please get in touch.
Our first online event in February 2023 highlighted a real desire for change and an active community in Dundee that wants to make good things happen. We heard from creatives in the city navigating the issue of space, and were joined by Ryan Macleod sharing Agency of None’s work on space and Kirsty Hilda Cameron owner of Second Home Studio + Cafe in Aberdeen.
In March 2023 we formed a Creative Spaces Working Group, made up of creative practitioners and community leaders to develop an initial vision for creative space in Dundee. In May we shared this with the wider creative community to gather feedback and prompt exchange.
As Dundee welcomed Art Night to its cultural venues and public spaces in June 2023, Creative Dundee partnered with Art Night to lead two conversations with local collectives and organisations to explore how artists and communities creatively use and reimagine space in and around the city.
Sam Gonçalves reflects on the past and continuing precarity of creative space in Dundee, and the possibilities that emerge when spaces are given a chance to thrive.
Creative practitioners from Dundee’s LGBTQ+ community share what it means for them to feel safe and represented in the city’s creative spaces.
Informed by the experience of producing Dundee Design Festival, Agency of None reflect on how collaborative environments may lead us into new, exciting and unknown creative futures.