The Palace’s Creative Learning team has launched a new initiative to encourage older people, people living with dementia and their carers to explore their creativity and improve their well-being.
Thirty-five people attended the inaugural Café Palais, which is inspired by 1920s Paris, to take on a range of activities including life drawing. Artist and painter Quentin Martin provided advice on basic skills and techniques, alongside burlesque life model, performer Petit Pois. It was the first of the monthly Café sessions, with future workshops to feature cabaret, pottery-making, dancing and jazz.
Café Palais is run by the Palace’s Creative Learning team, which engages over 10,000 people each year through a range of cultural activities, inspired by Alexandra Palace’s history, spaces and events. Support was provided by students and staff from the Entry & Foundation department at Haringey Sixth Form College, who attended as part of their course, as well as Ally Pally volunteers.
Mark Civil, Head of Creative Learning at Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust: “We are delighted to see so many people enjoying themselves at our first ever Café Palais. The café has been inspired by a need to help those in our community who could become lonely or isolated, so provides a space where people can meet regularly, find new interests and friends. We want the activities to be interesting, slightly edgy maybe, something people will genuinely enjoy and be intrigued by. Everyone has their own story to tell and can bring joy to others – we want to use creative activities to ensure people have an outlet for this.”
Café Palais is held in the Palace’s Transmitter Hall, which takes its name from its history as a home for transmission equipment for the BBC television service that was run from Alexandra Palace. As technology evolved the space changed use several times, with a BBC club bar and even a boxing club occupying the Transmitter Hall. The 1950s bar frequented by staff from the BBC Television News Service can still be seen in this historic room.
(Photos by Sophie Harbinson)