Free and immersive exhibition, ‘A Seat in Soho’, launches tomorrow at 8 Ganton Street and will run until Sunday 5th June. Following this evening’s private viewing, the multimedia exhibition celebrates the voices, history and diversity of Soho’s lesser-known but two and half thousand-strong residential community.

Visitors to ‘A Seat in Soho’ are invited into a curious, domestic setting just off iconic Carnaby Street, designed to provide a quiet and sensory experience in an area renowned for shopping and nightlife. Here, visitors settle into comfy chairs for a refreshing experience of Soho through the eyes of its residents using audio, objects and light installations.

The exhibition touches on pressing issues of our times, including housing security, loneliness, the joys of nature and the challenges of a post-pandemic world. Ultimately, the project is a celebration of Soho’s diverse residential community and its longstanding social history as a place of refuge dating back to the settling of the Huguenots following their exile from France in the 17th Century.

Conceived by Stella Cecil and Tiphaine Tailleux and supported by Arts Council England, the project has been a collaboration with eight residents, fifteen artists and a number of key partners. These include Shaftesbury PLC, who donated the space on Ganton Street, Soho Housing Association and the Broadwick Hotel. During its run, the space and exhibition will also be used to run creative workshops with charity partner Soho Parish School, and the exhibition will be raising money for their creative learning fund.

Speaking of the exhibition, Stella Cecil, Co-curator of ‘A Seat in Soho’ said: “As a former Soho resident, I always felt that there was a gap in public knowledge of the community that lives there. I hope that A Seat in Soho connects people to locals who have witnessed its rapid changes over the years but continue to make Soho the unique neighbourhood that is still enjoyed today.”

Simon Quayle, Executive Director at Shaftesbury said: “We are excited to have such a unique and immersive exhibition coming to the area. The exhibition aligns with Shaftesbury’s intentions to celebrate the community and history of Soho and therefore makes a great pop-up addition. A Seat in Soho focuses on topical issues in the modern-day world whilst helping to raise funds for an amazing cause. We hope visitors and locals to the area enjoy the exhibition whilst gaining an insight into the depth of Soho’s culture.”

Barbara Brownlee, CEO of Soho Housing Association, said: “It’s great to be a part of an exhibition that so beautifully highlights the central role that residents have played, and continue to play, in creating a community in the heart of Soho. The pandemic has highlighted just how crucial communities such as these are for maintaining London’s vibrancy and I’m delighted their stories are now being told with the help of Tiphaine and Stella.”