2023-12-31-accounts

Annua/R ort2023

Reference and administrative details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers

Registered charity name Set Centre Charity registration number 1170903 Principal office SET Woolwich Riverside House London SE18 6BU The trustees Dr Alexandra M Bickley Trott Ms Amy V Brennan Mr Robert AJ McLaren Dr Alexander J Thomas Independent Auditors Axis Accountants Ltd Zeal House 8 Deer Park Road Wimbledon London SW19 3GY

Contents

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Trustees' Annual Report

Overview Objectives Activities Achievements and Performance Structure & Governance Financial Review

62 Independent Auditor’s Report 68 Statement of Financial Activities 69 Balance Sheet 70 Statement of Cash Flows 71 Notes to the Financial Statements

Cover: Performance by Leila Arenou, Ola Hincapié & Kristina May, SET Woolwich Open Studios, photographer Briony Mitchell, May 2023.

Previous Page: SET Lewisham Open Studios, in Lewisham Retail Park, photographer Briony Mitchell, May 2023.

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Trustees’ Annual Report For the Year Ending 31 December 2023

The Trustees present their annual report together with the audited financial statements of the Set Centre CIO for the 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023.

The fourth night of SET’s inaugural film festival in November 2023 was devoted to a screening of the feature film Ouvertures . This was one of the 300 or so public events SET curated or facilitated in 2023 as part of our most ambitious public programme to date, but the film articulates an issue at the core of the arts and arts programming, an issue which occupies the ongoing work of SET, outlined in this overview. Ouvertures , directed by Louis Henderson and Olivier Marboeuf (2019) as part of The Living and The Dead Ensemble, reanimates and examines the legacy of Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture. Beginning in the snowy, white landscape of Jura where Louverture was incarcerated and died, the film moves to the city of Port-au-Prince where a group of actors grapple with the process of translating the play Monsieur Toussaint by Édouard Glissant from the French into Creole.

Cultural critic Edward Said argued that a pre-condition for legitimating a narrative is telling the story.1 In the case of Ouvertures the dominant narrative of Louverture is interrogated by a multiplicity of questioning new narratives. As such the narrative of the film interrupts: sections of the play re-run and repeat; words are put in new contexts, sung or rapped or spoken in chorus; rehearsals become discussions about Louverture’s actions and the actions and legacy of other Haitian revolutionaries such as Dessalines, Mackandal, Dédée Bazile; why, other than Dédée, there are so few women in this history; or what it means to be a Haitian now, whether it is possible to be a “global citizen” without denying your roots. The actors debate the exercise of translation, describing Creole as a language which is poetic, essentially metaphorical, a language which makes things seen by images.

Visually the film draws constant parallels, the white mountains of Jura streaked with black rock and trees are mimicked in the white and black of stalactites in a cave; the paper of the archives mirror layers of sedimentary rock, the blue graphics of mountains become waves and then clouds. The act of translating and of comparing becomes the act of interrogation, but it is not so simple to get beyond one’s history: the film culminates in scenes echoing the beginnings of the original 1791 slave rebellion, the actors agree take a herbal “remedy” and join together in ceremony, eventually finding themselves in a cave led by the ghost of Louverture, who ends the film by saying: here is where the journey begins.

This page: Ouvertures by the Living and Dead Ensemble, SET Film Festival, SET Social in Peckham, photograph courtesy of courtesy of The Living and the Dead Ensemble/Spectre Productions, November 2023.

Perhaps it is a trite observation that artists and artworks are both products and captives of narratives—the geographical, economic, cultural, political and historical contexts frameworks of their times—but artwork is not merely mimetic, it is part of what Said described, legitimating narration: a reflection of the times, a reflection on the times, and, importantly, as a contributor to shaping the times. The actors in Ouvertures struggle to grapple with dominant narratives, but in the process of doing so display the mechanics of a process of creative interrogation, which is a demonstration of this wider role of creative endeavour.

1 Edward Said, “Permission to Narrate”, Journal of Palestine Studies , 1984, pp. 2748, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2307/2536688

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The converse of Said’s argument is the best means of making a story illegitimate is to deny the telling of that story. It is of course not the case that every narrative if told is legitimate. Part of the role of arts organisations is to make decisions about legitimacy and this is a complex task, requiring an understanding beyond that of artwork qua artwork, to include an understanding of context, narrative and truth(s). It may be tempting to play safe, to only stick with dominant narratives, but a consequence of what art historian Albert Boime called an institutional dogma of style[2] is a more radical impetus to press for change. In that case, 59 years after Haitian independence from French colonial rule, there is the establishment of the Salon des Refusés in Paris. This move, born out of the Académie des Beaux-Arts’ rejection of, amongst others, many Impressionist paintings, and the subsequent campaign against these judgements, set the precedent of the right of the artist to show work irrespective of style. This culminated in the Société des Artistes Indépendants and new independent exhibitions in France in the late 19th Century. Not only does this narrative show how institutions can be made irrelevant, but a stem on the genealogy of art can be traced from the Salon des Refusés through the explosion of modern art to the establishment of independent artist-run organisations such as SET now.

This page: Performance by Candystripe on the SET Stage , RALLY festival in Southwark Park, August 2023.

2 Albert Boime, “The Salon des Refusés and the Evolution of Modern Art”, Art Quarterly , 1969, p. 423, available online: https://web.archive.org/ web/20210531065142/http://www.albertboime.com/Articles/12.pdf

That is not to say that there should be no limits to expression, or that institutional refusal will always lead to great new movements in art. That there are limits, everyone agrees. But what limits cultures – local up to global – should set on art and on expression is almost impossible to answer. Indeed in that question, the questioner might fall foul of presupposing one set of answers and one questioner. If watching Ouvertures shows one thing more definitely than anything other, it is that this is a fallacy. Grappling with questions at the core of the human condition, as the human condition presents itself during an artist’s times, may take the artist into unchartered territory. This process is difficult, but arts organisations, including SET, are positioned to provide a platform to support these new journeys. It is a task which has larger repercussions. Thousands visited the Salon des Refusés (even if it was to sneer at the work), and SET welcomes 1,000 visitors to our arts programme per week. The choices contribute to the stories humans know, and tell of themselves. It is in running a daily arts and providing artists’ studios to so many artists, that SET can safely say there is no one answer to the question of limits or taste, no single homogeneous culture.

This points to a heterogenous principle in curation which has long been at the heart of what SET does: despite introducing formalisation of the Associate Members’ Programme, SET’s curation is disseminated in a plurality of voices. The programme in 2023 included, for example: the inaugural film festival; locally-organised talks in SET Ealing; SUBSET series of electronic, experimental live-sets; SET’s first international “cultural bridge” with riesa efau and Videocity; De, desde, en, entre, hacia , an exhibition curated by Sophia Sacal, showing the work of ten Latin American artists; SET’s full curated music programme and self-built stage at local music festival Rally. These are just a few projects in the 2023 programme showing the breadth of the programme, which is spoken about in more depth in the Trustees’ report.

It may be a second trite observation that just as the times change, so does art. It is expressly within SET’s objectives that it should advance the arts as a public benefit. Change can be incremental and it can be swift: in 1918 Thomas Mann argued that art and politics were separate spheres. By the time he published Der Zauberberg in 1924 he clearly no longer held them in totally distinct worlds. By the time of his exile from Nazi Germany, he eventually viewed the role of the artist as political. The above demonstrates that in change, there may be one constant: that art is inextricably linked with its context, and a subset of context is political context.

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The sleight of hand in the above is that Mann came to embody the role of activist as an artist, not necessarily creating political artworks. This movement is reflected in contemporary art-making: for some years those involved in SET, as Associate Members, members of staff and audiences, have seen a legitimate aspect of exhibiting work as political action: artists might donate their artist fee or run an auction for a humanitarian cause, as well as produce works which make political statements. As such, the organisation, which reflects the actions of individuals acting in the name of the organisation, seeks these levers, to carefully support new narratives and the furtherance of art.

An organisation such as SET also has a further role. It is as swept up as any individual or grouping in the times, and as such the organisation’s model reflects what is possible. In order to deliver on its objectives, SET exists in the vacant spaces of our times. And this existence shapes the artwork Associate Members can make. The physical context creates parameters, but it also creates the space for new narration, and SET can view its role as creating a buffer for artists. A charitable incorporated organisation is inherently nonprofit, and this structure confers on SET the right to seek support in pursuit of its goals, in the form of funding, reliefs and pro bono expertise. These benefits exist to support the arts and artists. And though, in 2023, SET had to raise studio fees because of utility prices, providing some of the most affordable artists’ studios in London to 900 artists[3] is a vital part of creating the conditions for artists to be able to make work, in a context evermore hostile to artistic production. The role of SET in shaping the zeitgeist is itself a political action: to create a counterfactual situation, a world where the arts are affordable and accessible, and artists are supported in developing new narratives, responding to context to give new uses to the word art, to advance the arts as a public benefit.

This page: Beca Romero's work as part of De, desde, en, entre, hacia… , SET Woolwich, photograph courtesy of Sophia Sacal, June 2023–2023

Next spread: Big Fat Talent Show , view of crowd at SET Social, F.A.T Studio, SET Social in Peckham, photograph by Teo Della Torre, April 2023.

3 See Centres & Studios section of the report for more details.

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Objectives

SET’s objectives are to promote, improve and advance education in, and appreciation of, the arts, in particular but not exclusively through the facilitation and management of workshops and arts projects, for the public benefit.

These objectives are realised through the establishment of communities of artists within SET Centres, and the collaborative development of our arts and educational programmes at each SET Centre with the active involvement of those communities who are the Associate Members of SET.

SET’s Goals

• To create communities of artists at SET centres making and presenting work: this means curating an exciting, high-quality and collaborative arts programme, as well as providing good quality, genuinely affordable artists’ studios, supporting our Associate Membership to grow.

• To be as affordable as possible: SET’s aim is to create arts programmes and artists’ studios which are actually affordable. This is the salient factor in advancing the arts and broadening access to the arts.

• To expand our meanwhile use provision and to create permanent centres: SET’s aim is to continue to run meanwhile use projects because it is the best way to provide genuinely affordable arts programmes and studios for artists in London immediately. SET also aims to secure its and artists’ future in the capital by purchasing freeholds or leaseholds.

• To be a place for communities to gather: SET centres are arts centres but we also endeavour to make the centres places for all parts of the community to meet, be this through workshops, offering space to community groups, or initiatives aimed at offering solutions to local needs.

• Being a voice for the arts: we wish to continue to engage with other organisations to make SET’s voice heard and to advocate on behalf of our communities. Working with other organisations to represent the interests of our 1,000+ Associate Members and our 3,500+ SET club members.

As a further elucidation of those goals, SET is open to all and it is imperative that applications to become an Associate Member of SET are not subject to any ‘quality’ filter. However, SET aims to:

• (a) have an Associate Membership which: i. reflects the diversity of the local community, ii. over 50% local residents (local to that specific SET Centre);

• (b) be an organisation that gives a voice to the Associate Membership, so as to best meet the needs of the local community and keep abreast of developments in contemporary art;

• (c) provide the community with better access to an arts and educational programme both in person and digitally:

  • i. focus on collaboration across disciplines, especially music, art and writing;

  • ii. develop a programme which reflects the local community,

  • iii. further define and offer clarity in our programme to develop its identity and reputation;

• (d) develop facilities and spaces which are accessible to a wide demographic and are considered safer spaces (especially in social activities and night-culture);

• (e) develop good relationships with other local community organisations.

• To make our programme as brilliant as it can be: SET’s programme is very broad and is divided into different strands which broadly fall under either the Associate Members’ Programme or SET Projects. The programme includes a visual arts programme, an innovative music programme, a broad cross-disciplinary programme which focuses on literature and community-oriented events, and creating social space for people to meet.

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Activities

Arts Programme

Summary

SET’s activities can be reported in two interrelated sections – the arts programme and centres & studios, though it should be clear that the two are not distinct in that they take place in (mostly) the same geographical locations and they are to a large extent biconditional and symbiotic activities.

SET’s programme remains, broadly, divided into SET Projects, which are project curated or initiated by SET and the Associate Members’ Programme where SET supports studio holders to develop projects as part of SET’s programme.

In 2023, SET’s public programme reached the level the charity has been working towards since 2016, achieving new heights in quality, quantity and size of audience, whilst maintaining a commitment to our goals as described above: being supportive and sensitive to those involved in projects, pursuing a diverse array of projects across disciplines with an unwavering commitment to collaborative and community-led projects, and championing a form of experimentation which does not fall into the trap of becoming a “genre”.

It is this somewhat eclectic approach which has come to define the SET aesthetic – which is a DIY art aesthetic, true to our artist-run, grassroots identity, defined by the meanwhile buildings we take on, and the interests of the charity and its Associate Membership: this means there is as much of an emphasis on projects that bring people together, music, writing, performance, workshops, clubs and forms of play as there is on visual arts.

For example, SET Social in Peckham brings together the idea of a place for people interested in the arts to socialise, to see artwork, performances, hear and watch music, watch films, take part in a workshop, read a book, play pool, meet with with friends. All this within the surroundings of what looks like a traditional working man’s club, creating a different, informal context for different forms of art to co-exist. The popularity of this project in 2023 showed the local desire for something arts-focused, affordable and also fun.

SET Projects

SET Social

Similarly, SET Woolwich contains the Vault, Community Café & Garden and 4th Floor Project Space. Within the imposing 1960s office block, a day might include projects ranging from a workshop in the garden, through a free food offering at the cafeteria for those who cannot afford to pay, into a workshop or screening, an exhibition opening, through to night-time cultural electronic music performances.

Both SET Social and SET’s project spaces in SET Woolwich operate as part of SET Club, SET’s affordable members’ club, a concept to run safer arts spaces, where people pay a nominal £8 annually to be a member of the club premises (as opposed to an Associate Member of SET Centre CIO which is free) in order to attend arts projects, meaning SET can uphold best practice around evening and night activities to support attendees, staff and artists involved in putting on projects.

Bolstered by the support of these new spaces SET put on an event on the majority of days in 2023. The programme was vast and the highest quality to date. Some of the highlights of this programme include, but are not limited to the Film Festival, Open Studios, the various projects run in collaboration with F.A.T Studios, Communal Clay workshops and the incredible initiatives at SET Social where artists, driven by conscience, developed creative projects which could raise funds for humanitarian efforts.

As is detailed above, SET Social opened in December 2022 as a social centre for artists, those interested in arts, Associate Members of SET Centre CIO and the local community. It was very well attended from the opening onwards with 400 visitors per week. Due to popularity opening hours were extended to seven days per week including opening during the day to encourage use of the hall as a free workspace. This increased weekly attendance to 800 visitors per week.

Here we will give a brief summary of activities whilst below specific events will receive more attention as individual projects.

The weekly operation of SET Social is divided into different uses on different days and evenings.

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Friday and Saturday evenings are social events which also showcase local DJs; on Thursday evenings there are curated events which range from film screenings to performances; on Wednesday evenings there is the “clubs” evening which includes chess club, yarn and craft club, life drawing class, art crits, writing group, book club, artist support groups, an anarchist rage group, a queer sex education book club, a zine-making club, a Karl Marx reading group, and a dream group. On Mondays and Tuesdays there are karaoke and quiz evenings. On Sundays we have begun running a regular makers’ market.

Notable arts events on a Thursday have included a community salsa evening with two Latin American bands: La Manzana Tropical and Manos Negras; a Honey Theatre scratch performance night; the SET Film Festival (written about below); the Peckham Orchestra, and ceilidh, talent show and medieval nights in collaboration with F.A.T. Studio.

Previous page: Medieval Night , organised by F.A.T Studio, SET Social in Peckham, June 2023.

This page: Communal Clay , SET Social in Peckham, November 2023.

Regular workshops include a movement class, Communal Clay workshops organised by bar supervisor Tabitha Weddell. Other staff member contributions to the public programme included a somatic body mapping workshop run by Elizabeth Alster, a queer prom in the main hall, featuring a house band, photobooth, performances and extensive decorations organised by Dillon Home.

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In 2023, a volunteer-run library opened in the main hall, Think Big, Read . The library opened twice a week and loaned books to members. It was co-ordinated and curated by Oisín Roberts. The Think Big, Read library hosted several literary, and various well-attended book launches including Daisy LaFarge’s Lovebug . SET Social is slowly building a reputation as a host for literary events - we’ve recently worked with Peninsula Press, Granta, Faber and Fitzcarraldo.

Externally, a garden has been built and opened to the public which can be extended to a vegetable garden. Alongside our own Sunday markets, we’ve hosted several one-off art markets (usually run by long-time SET Associate Members Pagemasters) providing an opportunity and platform for SET makers and members of the local community to cross paths.

A development in 2023 was the desire of artists to waive a fee, or income for participating in our programme and instead donate the income associated with an event. In this manner and through the arts programme £7,000 was raised for humanitarian aid, specifically for Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF). This money was not SET Centre CIO's income and was donated by the artists involved or directly by those attending the associated arts projects. The value of SET Social to the local and arts community was evidenced in the over 200 letters of support SET received when applying to open the garden to the public.

The Vault & Community Café

The Vault is one of two project spaces in SET Woolwich used by the over 600 artists holding studios in that building. As with all projects the architecture of the building, its external and internal layout, and facilities, dictates use, and in the sound-proofed former vault of the office building its use as a multi-functional project space with an emphasis on electronic music and performance grew organically.

This page: Think Big Library , SET Social in Peckham, February 2023.

Next page: Community Garden & Cafe, The Vault in SET Woolwich, September 2023.

Contemporary electronic music has long been an art form SET has supported. There has long been an interest in taking this music outside of the traditional club environment and putting it into a contemporary art context, re-defining the parameters of night culture, and with that the norms associated with that music. A lot of the work on SET’s safer space policies and creation of supportive welfare infrastructure at our project spaces was done at The Vault and SET Social in 2023.

Annual Report 2023

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In the early part of 2023 SET ran a series entitled SUBSET , a night of experimental, electronic live-sets and dance music. SUBSET showcased Associate Members’ practices and SET’s guests with the aim of bringing a performance-focused community together. Associate Members also ran events including ROAM, TIDES, HTBX, Leisure FM & SELCHP Recordings .

Halfway through 2023 Annie Dermawan joined and began to manage the Vault and bring the area into more consistent use. Annie worked with SET’s current team to re-work the physical spaces including refurbishing, bringing the project space to a specification and to increase the quality of the projects developed for that space, repurposing material stores or empty glass offices as welfare rooms and cloakrooms, and building a team for running high-quality arts projects.

The Community Café continued to provide free food to those who cannot afford to pay with a regular group coming to Woolwich and on Thursdays this developed into further “art night” events put on by the Vault which encouraged Associate Members and members of the Vault to partake in workshops and displays of work.

SET Film Festival 2023

In November 2023, SET founded a grassroots film festival of contemporary, artist and archival film which took place at SET Social. This ambitious new festival was programmed by Amina Ali, Ellie Dobbs and Verity Monroe and presented 19 contemporary short films, a feature film, and two archival films, with a focus on artist moving image.

This page: Roam , The Vault in SET Woolwich, April 2023.

Next page: SET Film Festival , SET Social in Peckham, November 2023.

The programme was divided into three curated nights of short films, one feature film Ouvertures dir. Louis Henderson and Olivier Marboeuf (2019), and a free community film night screening. The community night focused on South London’s Sound System and pirate radio subcultures and included Julian Henriques’ film We the Ragamuffin (1992), a ragga musical shot on the now-demolished North Peckham Estate, as well as a sound system presentation by OurSoul Sound with a set by Birmingham-based collective Sisters in Dub and accompanying archival material from Peckham’s Feminist Library.

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This page: We The Ragamuffin - Filming on the Estate , SET Film Festival, SET Social in Peckham, photographer Martin Slavin, November 2023.

Next page: De, desde, en, entre, hacia… , in SET Woolwich Project Space, August 2023.

The festival curators were interested in what artists are making now, and aimed to provide a platform outside of the standard film industry and festival circuit, allowing spotlight on more experimental films and films made by Associate Members of SET. Several of the films in the programme were made for gallery contexts, such as Hetain Patel’s Trinity, Harmeet Rahal’s Chori Chori and Alberta Whittle’s Lagareh - The Last Born , which represented Scotland at the Venice Biennale and was screened for the first time in London.

There was a free and accessible open call for films and SET received over 500 submissions as a result, of which around 1 in 5 came from Associate Members. Notable films from the Associate Membership include Trinity , by Jarman awardwinning artist Hetain Patel, and the BAFTA-nominated film A Drifting Up , directed by Jacob Lee.

SET’s infrastructure team managed AV and built a surround sound and a custom screen with a 4k projector, on loan from Goldsmiths University, creating a cinema-level experience for guests while keeping ticket prices affordable. SET worked with newly graduated design collective called Working Conditions to create risograph posters and programmes, as well as merchandise, printed by Pagemasters. The festival sold out 4/5 nights and was delivered to budget with all artists and staff receiving a fair wage for their time and a reasonable screening fee. The festival will happen again in 2024.

Cultural Bridge Project between SET, riesa efau and Videocity

SET and its German partner riesa efau and international partner Videocity completed the Tier 1 activity as part of the ‘Cultural Bridge’ between these organisations. Following a trip of SET’s team to Dresden in March 2023 to learn from riesa efau and arts organisations in Dresden, building on months of online exchange, representatives from the partner organisations visited SET’s centres. SET, riesa efau and Videocity jointly hosted a PechaKucha presentation event with invited artists and artists selected from an open call. The presentation consisted of a screening of moving image work in the SET Woolwich Vault followed by a discussion, networking and further presentation of work.

Building on the partnership and the feedback, the Tier 1 report to Arts Council was submitted, and the cultural bridge continues, being awarded a further £30,000 as part of Tier 2 funding, divided among the three organisations to support short artist residencies in both countries and further exchange in 2024.

De, desde, en, entre, hacia…

SET expanded its international scope through a collaboration with Mexican curator Sophia Sacal, resulting in the exhibition De, desde, en, entre, hacia… showcasing the works of ten Latin American artists, Fernanda Barreto, Bryan Giuseppi, Aileen Gavonel, SET Woolwich Associate Member José García Oliva, María Méndez, Rebeca Romero, Antonio Tarsis, Paola Torres Núñez, Del Prado, Lucía R and Carolina Vélez Muñiz. Accompanying events were held at both SET Woolwich’s exhibition space and garden, as well as SET Social, and included a writing workshop, a clay workshop, and a live salsa band performance. José was recently awarded the Gasworks participation residency.

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Associate Members’ Programme

Locally-led Projects in SET Ealing

SET Ealing has welcomed an increase in locally-led events and local engagement, facilitated by studios manager, Josh Moseley. Recent events included a Nowruz mother’s day celebration hosted by Afghan Academy in spring, celebrating Afghan culture with traditional Afghan music performances and food. We also hosted a dual book launch with Grenadian activist Gus John and a pop-up exhibition with Southall Black Sisters showcasing works created by their service users. This model for wider engagement with communities in SET Centres will be expanded in Ealing in 2024 and be the blueprint for future SET projects.

The Associate Members’ Programme is one of the cornerstones of SET. It gives space for arts communities to self-organise exhibitions across the centres. At the beginning of 2023, SET transitioned to a biannual open call system for exhibitions, which helped to streamline and formalise the process of putting on a show at SET. This had some benefits in that SET was able to further define and clarify the programme aims and criteria. However, the increased formalisation may have resulted in fewer applications from Associate Members. Rather than programme shows for the sake of it, there was a decision to leave some gaps across the project spaces for the documentation of work, but some spaces have experienced more use than others. The use of project spaces for documentation of work is also incredibly important so that artists can use a large project space for free and are not limited in their ambition by their budget.

External Project: RALLY Festival

SET also took part in its first festival, RALLY in Southwark Park. SET built its own stage including a SET van and showcased a line-up of musicians and artists. The festival was a great way of sharing what the organisation does with a wider audience – getting SET out of the ‘SET Centre’.

Previous page: Mother's Day Spring Fair , Afghan Academy International in SET Ealing Project Space, March 2023.

Highlights from the Associate Members programme included a debut solo show of new work by dance photographer Jack Thomson in March, SET Kensington; Dio Dunbar’s exhibition Fruit and Flesh in October, the culmination of a SET Lewisham residency prize, SET Lewisham; At the edge of the centre , a large group exhibition curated by Travis Barton and Charlie Osborne including the work of Charlie Osborne, Dylan Coates, Harry Hodkinson, Ines Sacof, Isabella Pinto, Joe Smith, Luke Arnold, Luke Chin-Joseph, Mohammad Adam, Ned Prizeman, Sara Sternberg, Shast, Theo Goff, Zaineb Abelque and Reece Auguiste in November, SET Woolwich; Alek Mechlinksi’s group show Well Worn which brought in hundreds of people to SET Ealing across the opening and following workshops, and included 30 artists who were asked to distil their practice into items of clothing or accessories, challenging their conventional way of working; Internal Interlude , a series of kinetic sculptures and works on paper by Ned Prizeman in February at SET Kensington and an experimental photographic exhibition by the Sustainable Darkroom, which follows environmentally friendly darkroom practices, also at SET Kensington.

SET Stage , RALLY festival in Southwark Park, August 2023.

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Leafleters were assigned to each site on the day of the event to provide support in informing the local community of Open Studios events leading up to the openings.

At SET Woolwich, the Open Studios event saw the opening of the SET Woolwich Community Café, a sound-performance Bound State in the lobby by Leila Arenou, Ola Hincapié and Kristina May, and the Sandbox exhibition of 11 artists opening on 4th Floor. There was also the introduction of the Oursoul Soundsystem to the Vault. Oursoul ran open decks workshops from inside the Vault and invited friends and guests to play throughout the Open Studios event. As well as the Community Café, this marked the beginning of the garden refurbishment at SET Woolwich and invited guests to the Weird Bird Feeder workshop by Chloe Solomon, who took on maintenance and development of the garden.

At Lewisham High Street, the project space featured a mosaic installation by F.A.F Collective artists Henry Burns, Ruairi Fallon Mc Guigan and Ali Glover. Pagemasters also ran lithograph workshops from their studio over the course of this event.

Previous page: SET Kensington Open Studios , at Asa Briggs Hall, May 2023.

This page: Installation view, Leila Arenou, Ola Hincapié & Kristina May, SET Woolwich Open Studios, photographer Briony Mitchell, May 2023.

Open Studios

Open Studios is one of the most significant programming events in SET’s year with artists invited at most sites to open up their studios to the public and one another. The project both engenders a further sense of community within SET centres and also with the local vicinity. The Open Studios in 2023 were the largest and most ambitious SET has done, and this was made possible by a donation which provided the budget. The project took place in May across six sites home to ranging sizes of studios with a minimum of one project space at each centre. Groups of artists, performers or musicians were selected through an Open Call in March in order to activate each project space for the opening of the centres.

The events were scheduled as one or two events per week, with SET Lewisham High Street and SET Lewisham Retail Park on the same day, and SET Byward Street and SET Kensington falling in the same week due to their smaller scale. Guided tours were organised at larger sites and led by SET staff. The larger sites include SET Woolwich, SET Lewisham Retail Park, and SET Ealing. SET provided refreshments at each site, optional guided tours and programmed performances, workshops, and/or exhibitions at each event.

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SHAPES, an online directory based in Lewisham who connect artists, spaces, and opportunities in the arts was present at Lewisham Retail Park. SET became a member of the SHAPES network and collaborated on both a meeting for SHAPES members with the Open Studios event at the building in order to introduce studio holders to that network of makers and facilitators. There was a sound performance and exhibition in the project space hosted by SubPhonics collective, experimental artists and musicians and Associate Members of the studio building.

SET Kensington saw both a jesmonite workshop by Lauren Godfrey and a sound system installation by Sharmain Forde operating both events from their studios. This was matched with the opening of Honey Moon , a multi-disciplinary group show by nine artists in the project space. Artists included Antonia Adomako, Travis Barton, Jack Hedgecock, Samee Pervez, Carlos Huerta, Shirley Moore, Joe Bloom, Elena Barber and Dylan Coates.

SET Tower Gateway is home to four artists in residence as described below. As the space was converted from a former souvenir shop into an open-plan studio for the four artists, the artists decided to curate an event around the theme of trinkets and souvenirs. For Open Studios, each artist produced small tokens of their studio practice to sell or give away at the event, as well as a guided tour of the shared space as part of their show Tower Hill Trinkets . The artists involved were Yifan He, Abi Palmer, Leily Mojdehi and Luning Yang.

SET Ealing hosted the group show Custard Splits by Jo Chate, Sarah Dwyer, Cait Luke-Kelly, and Julie BrixeyWilliams featuring ceramics, sculptural installation and painting. This event was also kindly supported by Sxollie, a local cider company embedded in Ealing’s neighbourhood, who contributed towards an even footfall of members of the local community and Associate Members of SET at the Open Studios event.

Next page: Tower Hill Trinkets , Studio Prize Winner Leili and Guests at Tower Gateway Open Studios, SET Byward Street, May 2023.

View of Custard Splits by Jo Chate, Sarah Dwyer, Cait LukeKelly, and Julie Brixey-Williams, Open Studios in SET Ealing, May 2023.

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Centres & Studios

In 2023 SET offered studios to approximately 900 artists and Associate Members of the charity in 440 artists’ studios, across eight centres (seven of which have studios, SET Social being the exception) and 210,000 sq ft of studio and project space. [4] SET’s commitment to localism remained with over 50% of the Associate Members at each centre being from the local area. [5]

SET has so far secured centres in meanwhile use sites. This model is both a necessity and has advantages. Whilst SET looks to purchase a permanent site to secure a site to deliver its objectives in perpetuity, meanwhile use sites mean that SET can create genuinely affordable arts infrastructure and do it immediately. There is a crisis of artists being forced out of London due to rising living and working costs. To address this issue there is both a long term strategy and an immediate need: SET’s programme and studios provide a large part of the solution to this in the here and now.

As described in last year’s Annual Report, the situation for artists living and working in London and in the UK in general is precarious and needs support from charities:

1. In 2010, the national median wage for a fine artist was under £10,000 pa from their work. [6]

2. According to Nichole Herbert Wood’s research on artists living and working in London, only 8% of artists will be able to live from their work. [7]

3. Wood’s research also states 74% of artists take on a studio and 48% spend 30-35 hours a week in the studio. Artists are spending full working weeks in the studio honing their practices, and working second jobs on top of this to supplement their income as they cannot live off their practice.

4. 4 The number of artists is down from 2023, partially because of the closure of SET Dalston, Wimbledon and New Cross and partially due to the database creating a new method for counting. This method is being refined to include all of the Associate Members sharing studios which would increase the studios. Similarly, the database has meant adjustments to the number of studios. Finally the loss of sq ft of overall space compared with 2022 is due to the net loss of space.

5. 5 The local area is defined as the local borough with some exceptions, such as Woolwich where the size of the site means we include local and neighbouring boroughs.

6. 6 Martin Kretschmer, Sukhpreet Singh, Lionel Bently, Elena Cooper, “2011 Copyright contracts and earnings of visual creators: A survey of 5,800 British designers, fine artists, illustrators and photographers”, May 2011, 3.

7. 7 Nichole Herbert Wood, “The Career Trajectory of Artists – Based in London”, July 2022, 4.

8. Whilst it is not easy to compare studio prices, anecdotal evidence suggests it is difficult to open new studio sites within the suggested affordability bracket price of £12-19 psf pa (not necessarily inclusive of electricity), especially with the costs of securing long-term leaseholds.

9. Currently there are only approximately 11,000 artists’ studios in London with many at risk of closure. [8] There are 15,430 “new creative arts and design graduates” in London per year. [9] If 74% of those new artists are looking for studios in London, you can see the pressure on current arts infrastructure.

10. Clearly what is needed is the opening of large scale new studios now which are charged at the lower end of the affordability bracket.

11. Only SET has managed in the last 8 years to deliver this affordability (as detailed below) at the scale needed to address the problem.

In January 2023, SET had to increase studio prices due to the rise in electricity and other costs. This was a decision which was not taken lightly, but given the liabilities built up in 2022 it was necessary. Despite this increase:

1. 98% of the studios we provided [10] were priced between £13.2-£15.6 psf pa inclusive of electricity, internet and all other costs;

2. £13.92 psf pa was both the mean and median average rent price (all inclusive as described above);

3. £13.2 psf pa (all inclusive as described above) was the price charged most often to Associate Members with over 600 artists renting space at this price;

4. Whilst it is difficult to compare, as different organisation charge rents which include different elements, these reported figures, it is reasonable to say SET provided the most affordable artists’ studios in London at scale at sites opened in the last 5 years.

5. 8 This is based on “10,872 tenants” of artists’ studios identified in Mayor of London, “2018 Artists’ Workspace Annual Data Note”, Cultural Infrastructure Plan , August 2018, 7, and Mayor of London, “Artists’ Workspace Study: Report and Recommendations”, September 2014. 2014, 6, which identified “11,500 people working from artists’ workspaces”. There will almost certainly be more artists living in London not in studios or not picked up by the report

6. 9 Mayor of London, “2018 Artists’ Workspace Annual Data Note”, 11.

7. 10 There was one studio of 4,041 sq ft GIA rented above this amount but still within LAASN’s affordable studio figure. This was due to there being higher costs associated with running that building due to it being on a longer lease. This makes up 1.92% of the overall GIA of the combine buildings. On another metric it is 1/440 studios.

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1. So whilst SET became one of the five largest affordable artists’ studio providers [11] in London in 2022, SET also managed to do this more affordably than anyone else.

Having said this, the increase highlighted some issues which were expressed by the Associate Membership relating to ongoing maintenance of meanwhile use sites, especially in SET Woolwich. Part of the need to increase rents was the cost of effectively running the maintenance of large, old buildings. Several innovations were brought in in 2023 including expanding the maintenance team and creating methods for Associate Members to raise issues, including:

1. Each centre having a Centre Associate Members’ Annual Meeting (CAMAM);

2. Further support was given to Associate Members by rewriting the Associate Member Licence Agreement and Terms & Conditions to better support our community. The updated documents now clarify the rights and commitments of studio sharers, differentiate between studio holding and Associate Membership, and offer increased support to our management team through improved methods, safety measures, financial security, and legal clarity;

3. Building a large-scale database for Associate Members and Members of SET Club;

4. Moving payment systems to taking direct debits, and;

SET Centres

1. Providing a new maintenance job reporting software.

SET Social

See Report in Programming Section.

SET Woolwich

In 2021, SET Woolwich opened as the flagship SET Centre, situated in a 140,000 square-foot former office block. Home to over 620 artists occupying, it is a vibrant community. Over 50% of the Associate Membership are from the local or neighbouring boroughs. This remarkable site has a well utilised project space, a community garden, and the dynamic music and performance arts project space, The Vault. The programme at SET Woolwich is described above in the programme section.

This page: SET Woolwich, Riverside House

Notably, SET conducted a studio prize programme for 18 artists and makers from 2021 to 2022, granting each recipient access to a studio space exceeding 300 sq ft for a year. Following the conclusion of this initiative in 2022, the majority of former prize winners opted to remain at SET, supported by a phased studio fee plan.

11 This is based on estimates as figures for individual providers do not all release figures.

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SET launched a community prize in 2021, benefiting 15 community groups with free space. This endeavour continued throughout 2022 and 2023, with the commitment to extend it for the duration of the building’s lease.

A building this size and of this age has brought with it some difficulties in terms of maintenance and the costs associated with price rises in electricity. The increase at the beginning was most starkly felt in this building where studio fees had to rise from £10.80 psf pa (all inclusive) to £13.20 psf pa. At the newly brought in CAMAM some Associate Members expressed their dissatisfaction with the price increase. Although the percentage of dissatisfaction was only around 1-2% of the overall Associate Membership, SET brought in new arrangements to deal with the issues associated with the building (much of this work had begun in 2022 and the benefits were seen throughout 2023).

Woolwich Associate Member Highlights (projects external to SET) in 2023 included: Jenkin Van Zyl’s exhibition Surrender at Edel Assanti and FACT Liverpool; Jacob Lee was nominated for a BAFTA for his short film A Drifting Up ; Rose Moya built the touring set for Rina Sawayama’s world tour and for work at the ICA; The Herd Theatre group were commissioned by the Southbank to build an interactive playground.

SET Lewisham Retail Park

In 2019, SET Lewisham opened its doors, providing studio spaces to close to 90 Associate Members across 26 studios, along with a street-facing project space. In 2022 another extension was negotiated on the site which means it should remain in place until at least January 2024. Over 80% of the Associate Members at this site are residents of Lewisham and this remains one of SET’s most closelyknit artists communities. SET Lewisham has one of SET’s most frequently used project spaces, as written about in the programme section.

Due to the close community there was little change in terms of the occupancy of studios in 2023. Working with Lewisham Council, SET ran two 6 month studio prizes in Lewisham Retail Park which offered free studio space to an artist living in Lewisham who had not been to art school. The prize was run across both Lewisham SET centres. The prize winners at Lewisham Retail Park were Dio Dunbar and artist collaboration Omar Hmidat & Ross McKendrick.

The CAMAM gave Associate Members the opportunity to feedback on issues such as cold studios in winter and for SET to develop new strategies to manage these issues. There was always an ongoing issue with the roof leaking, but after extensive works the roof held out well in 2023.

Lewisham Retail Park Associate Member Highlights (projects internal and external to SET) in 2023 included: Elle Perkins and Joseph Dalton’s exhibition Rat Bast*rds in SET Lewisham and Associate Member-led artist critiques; longtime Associate Member Charlie Goodall embarked upon an all-encompassing performance piece using masks for Lent 2023, Giving Up My Face for Lent consisted of the artist wearing a mask or face covering in public or with others for 40 consecutive days. The artist documented the work with images and journal entries open to the world; Hallam Wood was invited to show work at Sandford Vitrine in January 2023.

This page: Rat Bast*rds , Show by Elle Perkins and Joseph Dalton, in SET Lewisham Retail Park, photography Elle Perkins, June 2023.

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SET Lewisham High Street

SET Lewisham High Street opened in summer 2022, in partnership with Lewisham Council. This centre serves as a new home for the artists community which began in the original SET building in Bermondsey in 2016. This community very much defined SET at the beginning and the organisation grew with this community of artists, who moved from Alscot Road to SET New Cross and then onto SET Lewisham High Street, offering them a stable studio situation guaranteed until April 2025. The centre has 11 studios, 29 Associate Members and a project space, the community is over 80% Lewisham residents.

The free studio prize described above was originally intended to be located in Lewisham High Street, but, with the strength of applications SET ran 2 iterations in SET Lewisham Retail Park and one in the Lewisham High Street project space awarded to Daisy Howarth.

This page: Henry Burns Ruairi Fallon Mc Guigan Ali Glover’s large scale mosaic for Short Lived at Hyphastudios, on show at SET Lewisham High Street Open Studios, May 2023.

In 2023 the difficult decision was made to convert the project space into another studio space which, whilst not a universally popular decision, was understood by the community in the face of increasing costs.

SET Ealing

Lewisham High Street Associate Member Highlights (projects internal and external to SET) in 2023 included: Pagemasters held zine fairs at South London Gallery and SET Social respectively; Naomi Ellis’ exhibited Flow: Materiality in Motion at SET Kensington; Henry Burns & Ali Glover created a large scale mosaic for Short Lived at Hyphastudios and this ambitious work was then shown at the 2023 Open Studios.

In March 2022, SET Ealing opened its doors, offering 36 studios to over 50 artists across 25,000 sq ft including a ground-floor project space with a prominent street-facing window.

The site also includes two community prize spaces occupied by local groups, Afghan Academy International and COCO Art Club. The community prizes offer the use of a space for free for a minimum of a year, but Afghan Academy continued their use throughout 2023, being one of the most active Associate Members. At the end of 2023, SET decided to change the second studio space into a place for the local community to gather. Additionally, SET Ealing has a separate unit occupied by the charity Store Cupboard.

West Ealing has a substantial population of artists who lack locally affordable studio options. Through proactive community engagement, SET Ealing has emerged as the centre with the largest number of Associate Members hailing from the local area, with 92% of those who have studio being residents of the borough of Ealing in 2023.

A planning application for the site has been submitted, and although this may prove to be a lengthy process, we are looking for new sites in the area so we can continue the valuable community work underway.

In 2023, there was good satisfaction from Associate Members with some about with heating and the roof, but overall Associate Members work well together in the studios and there were no significant issues across the year.

We have continued to develop our working relationship with local community organiser Sukant Chandan, which has led to some insightful and interesting events, including a project around the garden in the name of Jessica Huntley (historic civil rights activist and partner of Eric Huntley) and a book launch by Professor Gus John (education campaigner, writer & community activist). Further information on the programme here is in the programme section.

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SET Ealing Associate Member Highlights (projects internal & external to SET) in 2023 included: Houria Niati’s work was part of The Tate’s Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970 – 1990 exhibition and Sarah Dwyer was part of multiple exhibitions in 2023, including Holding Space at Hauser & Wirth.

SET Kensington

SET Kensington Associate Member Highlights (projects external to SET) in 2023 included: Nina Baxter was part of several shows including Skin Deep at STUDIO WEST, Kensington; and group painting show Regards Croisés at COHLE GALLERY, Paris; Nika Neelova showed pieces from her ‘Medusa’ series at Noire Gallery as part of thaw in December and Very Like a Whale opened at The Santozeum, Fira Town, Santorini.

SET Kensington opened in April 2022, as a centre for 60 artists occupying 43 studios. Located just a five-minute walk from High Street Kensington, this centre addresses the pressing need for affordable studio spaces in the area. Given the proximity to the Royal College of Art, a lot of the Associate Members with studios graduated from that university and remained in the area, meaning over 50% of our Associate Membership at that site are local.

Situated near numerous major galleries and institutions, the street-facing project space at SET Kensington is a valuable resource accessible to our entire Associate Membership. It provides crucial support for emerging creatives looking to connect with both the commercial and the critical art world. There is more information about the programme in Kensington in the programme section.

We are aware this site is perhaps the most likely to end in the future because of the submission of a planning application, and that it will be difficult to find other sites in this local area. We will work to find new sites for studios once this comes to an end, whether they are local or further afield.

It is with great sadness that we report the news that one of our Associate Members, Katya Kan, passed away in July 2023. The following quote is from Nicky Ginsberg, founder of NG Art Creative Residency in Provence: “Katya Kan was a phenomenal artist and performer. Often dressed in her rabbit outfit, she thrilled so many of us with her idiosyncrasies, her thoughtful and sometimes menacing work, radical ideas, and courageous, humorous, and provocative art practice and performances. She had much to share about her ideology and was never afraid to confront subjects that challenged.” [12]

There was movement in and out of the studios in Kensington in 2023, but demand remained very high.

12 Ginsberg’s quote is taken from Tabish Khan’s artist profile of Katya Kan, FAD Magazine, https://fadmagazine.com/2024/07/19/artist-profile-katya-kan/.

This page: The Throat is a Threaded Melody , Work by Kira Freije, E-WERK Luckenwalde in Germany, April 2023.

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SET North Greenwich

SET North Greenwich, opened in 2019 on a 5 year lease and accommodates six Associate Members across two warehouses which span 6,000 sq ft. The second unit provides studios to four artists, two of them being two of the first artists to take on studios with SET at Alscot Road. The first unit is occupied by a set-construction organisation who have begun to outgrow any support needed from SET. This site comes up for renewal in 2024. SET expects to be able to work out a renewal for both units.

There is no project space in North Greenwich, nor were there particular issues in the studios.

SET North Greenwich Associate Member highlights include: Kira Freije’s exhibitions river by night , Cample Line in Scotland, The Throat is a Threaded Melody in E-Werk in Germany and Six Portraits in London; Anna Paterson’s work was part of a group exhibition From Transparent Juices at LUNGLEY Gallery in London and Booth 57 , LUNGLEY in Basel, Switzerland.

SET Tower Gateway

The free studio prize continues in 2023 at SET Tower Gateway. This centre is situated in a former souvenir shop. The recipients of the residency prize are Abi Palmer, Leily Mojdehi, Yang Luning, and Yifan He. This residency programme was originally intended to span nine months, concluding in September 2023, but was extended to December 2023. In 2024 the building will continue, but the prize will end.

SET Tower Gateway Associate Member highlights include: Abi Palmer’s work ‘The Weather’ commissioned by Artangel; Leily Mojdehi was involved in various exhibitions in 2023 including as part of the New Contemporaries and The Ingram Prize; Yang Luning was part of the exhibition Midwinter at V.O. Curations; Yifan He showed work with Kerolaina Linkevica as part of the exhibition I am neither nor but a secret third thing at Backlit Gallery, Nottingham. All of the artists were also shown as part of the art fair Frieze, London 2023.

Previous page: RAPTURE , fundraiser in the VAULT for Woolwich Community Garden, organised by Chloe Solomon, March 2023.

Flying Fish on Wheels , by Adonia Bouchehri, Install view of I'M HERE BUT I'M NOT A CAT , in SET Kensington Project Space, photographer Max Colson, October 2023.

Next page: Works by Adonia Bouchehri and Daniel & Clara, Install view of I'M HERE BUT I'M NOT A CAT , in SET Kensington Project Space, photographer Max Colson, October 2023.

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Achievements and Performance

SET fulfils its objectives in SET Centres through an arts programme and the provision of genuinely affordable artists’ studios, guided by its organisational goals.

The 2023 Arts Programme was SET’s highest quality, most wide-ranging and ambitious programme to date. Curating projects across so many different project spaces, working with multiple connected communities is a testament to the expanded curatorial, events, infrastructure and studios management teams, as well as the Associate Members at each centre.

In 2023 SET’s programme:

• (a) Included more than 300 projects;

• (b) Spanned seven sites;

• (c) Garnered an in-person audience of over 68,000 visits to SET’s programme in 2023: [13]

• i. At SET Social 26,768 were new member or guest visits, and 31,116 were returns,

• ii. At SET Woolwich 5,960 were new member or guest visits and 4,897 were returns,

• iii. The average member visited close to three times in the year;

• (d) Involved and supported hundreds of artists;

• (e) Expanded SET’s curation, including in visual art, music, literature, film and in workshops;

• (f) Created more connections in local areas, across the UK and internationally;

• (g) Garnered more funding than ever before.

SET Projects curation, as described in our activities, can be summarised as focusing on experimental and interdisciplinary contemporary arts projects, often with an interest in bringing visual arts together with text-based practices, music and performance. Similarly, the organisation successfully generates interest in the arts by making projects which are the products of habits of assembly, collaborative and social, as well as creative.

The Associate Members’ Programme and Open Studios can be seen in this light – the organisation is artist-run and those who work at SET are a part of the assemblies of people who come together to create projects at SET. Not only this, but as an organisation, SET seeks to support studio holders to have an active voice and artistic stake in its arts programme.

13 This is based on the attendance recorded to SET Social and the Vault. We do not record attendance to exhibitions currently so the number will be higher.

The revision and creation of an application process for the Associate Members’ programme in 2023 was a necessary step to increasing support for those projects chosen, and to allow for the necessary oversight for a successful and sustainable programme. Further thought needs to be given to project space use in between shows and supporting Associate Members in making applications.

It was mentioned in the 2022 report that SET’s programme is predominantly self-funded, but that all parts of SET’s programme would benefit from further funding in the coming years. In 2023 more funding allowed more ambitious Open Studios and international collaborations. Similarly contracted companies running events-oriented project spaces in SET Social and Vault allowed SET to run and staff more projects without the charity having to contribute funds, a vital factor in running arts projects nearly every day of the week.

In the provision of studios SET continued to follow its meanwhile use model which has been so successful in bringing new, very affordable artists’ studios into London. In not opening any new sites in 2023, SET could concentrate on providing better studios in the sites it currently runs and also developing the arts programme. Due to rising costs SET had to raise studio fees at the beginning of 2023 but remained some of the most affordable studios in London.

In 2023 SET’s studios:

• Provided studios to approximately 900 artists. Artists with studios at SET are Associate Members of the charity contributing to our charitable objectives;

• Remained the most affordable new studios opened at scale in London in the last 5 years, charging an average of £13.92 psf pa at a rate inclusive of all other costs including electricity;

• Existed across seven different buildings in London;

• Offered studios to local people with over 50% of the Associate Membership at each studio being local and up to 92% at SET Ealing;

• Created new means for Associate Members to give feedback and raise issues, and supported the Associate Membership with new licences and Associate Membership documents.

Whilst there were issues with rental increases coupled with some maintenance issues at certain sites, by the end of 2023 the increased income to SET meant the organisation could both cover the increased costs of the building and better maintain the buildings.

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SET improved many aspects of running studios at sites whilst remaining affordable and will continue to look at means of further feedback from Associate Members and members of the public. In 2023 SET began an archiving project which will last until 2026 and which will provide opportunities for feedback in the form of oral histories.

The growth of SET remains a remarkable phenomenon and has had a significant impact on the cultural landscape of London. Whilst 2023 did not include further expansion, 2024 will, as the current stock of buildings move closer to their end. This is the downside of meanwhile use. Ideally SET will build up enough reserves to create a permanent centre which still fulfils the goals of the organisation. In the face of the rising costs in London forcing artists to leave, SET is providing a vital solution here and now, which means artists can afford to continue to work in London.

21 Community Groups and Prize Winners who benefitted from free studio space in 2023 across different SET centres:

• Abi Palmer

• Afghan Academy International

• COCO Art Club

• Daisy Howarth

• Decolonising The Archive

• Dio Dunbar

• Foreign Body Productions

• Hate Zine & Baesianz

• Leily Mojdehi

• Little Bean Theatre

• Mama 2 Mama

• Omar Hmidat & Ross McKendrick

• Phase Zine

• Pratibha Nakshatra

• The Chateau

• The RA5k

• Trailblazers Mentoring

• Vadí? Nevadí

• Working Class Creatives Database

• Yang Luning

• Yifan He

Next page: Gatherings , Working Class Creatives Database, in SET Woolwich Project Space, August 2023.

Spontaneous Fermentation , Hannah Fletcher, in SET Kensington Project Space, July 2023.

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Structure & Governance

SET is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation founded in 2016. SET promotes, improves and advances education in, and appreciation of, the arts in particular but not exclusively through the facilitation and management of workshops and arts projects, for the public benefit. SET Centre CIO advances the public’s education in the arts by managing SET Centres, which are arts centres across London. SET Centres contain: project spaces, events spaces, affordable artists’ studios and other facilities such as workshop facilities. SET curates an arts and educational programme throughout SET Centres, including SET Projects which are arts projects initiated by SET or in collaboration with other organisations, and the Associate Members’ Programme, which is led by studio holders in SET centres.

SET is comprised of its trustees, staff, contractors and contracted companies, volunteers and Associate Members. The organisation was founded by its three current directors, Roland Fischer-Vousden, Joshua Field and Oliver Tobin.

The CIO is governed by its constitution and trustees: Amy Brennan, Dr Alexandra Bickley Trott, Dr Alex Thomas and Robert McLaren (Chair) oversee the governance of the charity, including the recruitment and appointment of SET’s directors and management team.

The Trustees serve fixed one-year terms, which may be renewed through a resolution passed during a Trustees’ Meeting. Across the trustees and SET staff, SET possesses a diverse range of skills, including business acumen, community relationship management, organisation management, academia, policy, construction, and artistic skills.

The overarching strategy of SET’s operations, including finding new SET Centres and deciding on the direction of the charity and the work it does is led by the Founder-Directors, reporting to the Trustees and working with the rest of the SET team.

In 2023 the Director of Studios, Jemima Thomas, oversaw the studio operations, which is SET’s main source of income and reported to the Trustees with the Founder-Directors. The Director of Studios remained head of the studios department and part of the management team. By the end of 2023 there was a structural change in the organisation and this role was ended, and a new role of Head of Studios was created.

The Founder-Directors and the management team oversee the day-to-day operations of SET. Each staff member contributes to bi-annual reports to the Trustees which inform bi-annual Trustees’ Meetings. All positions within the Management Team are permanent and undergo annual reviews at Trustees’ Meetings. In 2023 SET’s management team consisted of the Director of Studios, Jemima Thomas; Curator, Ellie Dobbs and Head of Infrastructure, Daniel Gatenio.

The Management Team make up the heads of department for different parts of the organisation. The Director of Studios leads the studios; the Head of Infrastructure manages infrastructure and the technology for all centres, and the Curator leads the curatorial team. The accounting team is led by Roland Fischer-Vousden. These departments are also supported by the contracted companies delivering different aspects of SET: the Build Team run by Ruairi Mangan-Cliff and Max Carton, and Rex Refreshments Ltd. which runs SET Social and the Vault, led by venue managers, Hermione Shaw and Annie Dermawan.

The curation of the arts programme is not just limited to the curatorial team, but this aspect of SET’s structure is detailed here. The curatorial team headed by Ellie Dobbs also expanded in 2023 to include curatorial assistant, Verity Monroe, and curatorial researcher, Amina Ali. Curatorial work includes the work of the contracted companies mentioned above including Hermione, Annie, Max and Ruairi; the Founder-Directors, especially the work of Oliver Tobin and Josh Field on the Vault and SET Social programme, and Roland Fischer-Vousden on the archival project; Alice Fraser on the Community Café in SET Woolwich, and the wider staff of the charity and the contracted companies, and Associate Members. This wider curatorial support that comes from all parts of the team, which is detailed in the activities, is testament to SET’s existence as an artist-led and artist-run organisation.

Each Studios Manager is in charge of different centres and they are the primary contact for Associate Membership inquiries. Shirley Moore was in charge of SET Kensington, Lewisham Retail Park and Lewisham High Street; Josh Moseley was in charge of SET Ealing, North Greenwich and Tower Gateway and Milena Szymanek was in charge of SET Woolwich. The length of Studios Management employment contracts was linked to the tenure of the SET centres they were based in, ranging from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 12 months. Josh Moseley’s role in Ealing also included community co-ordinating. In 2023 there were no Assistant Studios Managers.

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The Infrastructure Team, headed by Daniel Gatenio, expanded in line with SET’s drive to improve the management of buildings. Aidan Hendrickse and Lewis Martin joined the team as Infrastructure Assistants. The infrastructure team continued to work with the external Building Team led by Ruairi Mangan-Cliff and Max Carton. In 2023, SET also continued to work with some regular contractors such as Associate Members Luke Felstead and Karum Friel.

The finances of the charity are led by Director, Roland Fischer-Vousden, working with the other Directors and rest of the Management Team. The accounts department included Emily Mahon who moved fully away from studio management and took over the role of Accounts Receivable and Aanuoluwapo Oshikoya joined the team as Accounts Payable Assistant. Jackie Freeman provided advice as an external part-time CFO. SET works with external accountants, Axis Accountants Ltd.

The contracted company Rex Refreshments makes a huge contribution to SET’s programme and ability to run such a large arts programme, putting on events seven days per week. Hermione Shaw continued in the role as Venue Manager at SET Social. Annie Dermawan became the Venue Manager at the Vault.

This page: Side Step , Curator Anna Lytridou, in SET Ealing Project Space, photographer BJ Deakin, March 2023.

Given the size of SET’s team, the organisation works with an external HR company and Roland Fischer-Vousden remained in charge of Human Resources. For legal support in taking on new buildings SET is very thankful to the various legal firms who provide support to the charity in achieving its goals. Dillon Home and Erin Galvin took on the roles of Venue Manager Assistants; Tabitha Weddell, Eva McPartland, Isabelle Kavanagh, Alba Schloessingk, Matthew Robinson were all Supervisors, whilst Leyla McNicholas Yalcin, Chloe Maugile, Elizabeth Alster, Faddy Velmi, Felix Lindsell, Levi Scott, Rosie Schofield and Georgina Nettell worked as part of the bar team. The security for events was run by Micheal Egbunine’s security company, Namike, with Kelvin Okoro and Lucky Idemundia, who who both made an impressive contribution to creating a supportive and encouraging environment for members of the public. Welfare support and support in writing our safer space policy was provided by SafeOnly.

SET continued to actively participate in London’s Affordable Artists Studio Network (LAASN) as part of SET’s broader commitment to advocate for artists in London and promote the development of affordable studios for artists.

The wider organisational structure of the charity is based on Associate Membership. Associate Members have studios in SET Centres and contribute to our charitable objectives. Associate Members remain members even if they do not have studios and so Associate Members remained over 1,000 in 2023. Associate Members use artists’ studios at SET Centres, and have the opportunity to be a part of SET’s Associate Members’ Programme. SET selects each artist or project hosted at each centre via an ongoing open call. Associate Membership is awarded, and studio space is allocated on an open basis. It is vital that Associate Membership and access to studios is open to all, and that SET does not try to curate the Associate Membership based on perceived “quality” of artwork. Access to SET centres, studios, and programmes should not pose barriers, as access plays a pivotal role in facilitating the growth and development of artists’ practices. Membership of the Club Premises is not run by the charity but was over 3000 in 2023 and is similarly not “quality” filtered, but is limited based on various factors including amount of attendees and interest in the arts.

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SET is a locally-focused organisation and aims for over 50% of the Associate Membership at each centre to be residents of the borough local to that centre, or in some cases including neighbouring boroughs also. Associate Members do not possess voting rights in the management or governance of the charity. However, they do have welldefined responsibilities aimed at advancing the charitable objectives of SET.

SET’s objectives were also fulfilled by the work of volunteers such as Oisín Roberts who ran the library project at SET Social; a pool competition fundraiser for the garden at SET Social involved seven volunteers (some of whom were also employees), Tabitha Weddall, Harry Plomer, Daniel Gatenio, Annie Shead, Dillon Home, Lucia Coppola, Rosa Brentnall, and the pro bono work of lawyers and solicitors.

Trustees’ Indemnity

Trustees Indemnity insurance is in place at a limit of £1,000,000 with the insurer: RSA Insurance Group plc.

Financial Review

In 2023, the accounts department of SET Centre CIO grew and was divided into accounts receivable and accounts payable, a divide which provided clarity of roles and responsibilities and allowed for better oversight. SET worked with an external part-time financial officer who offered advice to the organisation. This advice led to the creation of the accounts receivable position, the move to taking direct debits to reduce the number of debtors to SET, and further changes to the payable system. There were also other innovations from the accounts department in categorisation, budgeting and tracking location spend.

Going Concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that SET has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

Principal Funding Sources

1. Affordable Artists’ Studio Rent;

2. Grant Funding;

3. Private Loans;

4. Rent from Companies.

This page: Selective Work , The Vault in SET Woolwich, September 2023.

Ceilidh fundraiser for The Field, in SET Social Peckham, February 2023.

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Funding and Investment Policy

SET turned over c. £1.5million in 2023, increasing from c. £1m in 2022. This was despite not taking on more sites, but due to the necessary fee increase and increased rents from contracted companies. Affordable artists’ studio rent remains SET’s main source of income, which means the charity does not rely on external funding to cover its core costs. As part of SET’s charitable objectives, remaining the most affordable artists’ studios provider in London is central to the funding policy. In order to do this SET predominantly utilises a meanwhile use model and spreads costs across multiple sites.

Measures taken in 2022 and 2023, first giving less leniency with outstanding rents from Associate Members and then implementing the use of direct debit to collect fees, has helped to bring liabilities down. Measures in 2024 will reduce the overall number of debtors to the organisation.

SET works with two contracted companies which run refreshments and filming in SET buildings and pay a rent to SET. This work provides a platform for the wider 2023 programme, because the contracted company Rex Refreshments has staff on site, including security, to help run arts projects open to the public. SET continues to search for new funding strategies, with the aim of developing new revenue streams, and improving cash flow, to maintain the viability of SET as an organisation and to ensure we can continue to deliver on our charitable objectives. The funding strategy remains to take on new meanwhile use sites but at each new SET Centre is to negotiate better contractual terms and begin with rents which accommodate any potential large increases in costs (such as electricity increases). Affordable artists’ studios rents will continue to cover the core funding of the organisation.

In 2023 SET continued to work towards securing permanent centres so that some income is guaranteed over a long period. Whilst associated costs make this a long-term goal, complementing meanwhile use sites with permanent ones is the strategy SET is pursuing.

SET invests into making new SET Centres and maintaining buildings and running an arts programme. The safe use of buildings is SET’s primary cost to deliver its primary charitable objectives of delivering safe cultural infrastructure.

SET needs to develop more reserves in the future to make the organisation more resilient in the face of difficult unforeseen circumstances.

Principal Risks and Uncertainties

The principal risks and uncertainties to the charity are:

• (a) Loss of centres and therefore the main source of income due to meanwhile nature;

• (b) Further increases in fixed buildings costs such as electricity and heat;

• (c) Risks to centres due to the age of buildings such as flooding;

• (d) Inability to recover debts, including cost-of-living crisis affecting artists and their ability to pay affordable artists’ studios rents.

Financial Risk Management Objectives and Policies

In order to mitigate the risks above the charity has taken the following measures. SET has spoken with the owners of sites about their 2024 plans. Plans have been submitted for SET Kensington and SET Ealing, and it is unclear whether these sites will close in 2024. For the rest of SET’s sites, Landlords have indicated they are unlikely to close in that year. We are aware that a planning application is being submitted for SET’s flagship site which is the largest centre, SET Woolwich. This is unlikely to be completed in 2024, but we have begun conversations with the local council about re-housing the artists in that building and have targeted a series of other buildings to replace it. SET is aiming to replace the 140,000 sq ft in multiple smaller buildings, within Woolwich where possible. Our partnerships with councils such as Lewisham, Greenwich, Ealing and the City of London, mean SET will aim to work with the councils to deliver short, medium and long-term affordable cultural infrastructure. Growing SET’s team working on obtaining new sites is vital in growing the organisation by 20,000 sq ft net per annum over the next five years.

SET therefore continues to work towards securing permanent centres so that some income is guaranteed over a long period. Whilst associated costs make this a long-term goal, complementing meanwhile use sites with permanent sites is the strategy SET is pursuing.

SET continues to search for new funding strategies, with the aim of developing new revenue streams, and improving cash flow, to maintain the viability of SET as an organisation and to ensure we can continue to deliver on our charitable objectives. The model of contracting a company to run refreshments to allow SET to deliver more of its arts programme, is another means of delivering on SET’s goals without increasing its revenue streams (although the contracted companies are nonprofit and pay rent to the charity).

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This page: Craft Club , in SET Social Peckham, March 2023.

Lewisham Open Studios, Lewisham Retail Park, photographer Briony Mitchell, May 2023

In general, SET’s strategy, at each new SET Centre is to negotiate better contractual terms and begin with rents which accommodate any potential large increases in costs (such as electricity increases). Affordable artists’ studio rents are charged at a rate which covers the costs of running each centre. The supply of this service is not made for the purposes of obtaining income – the supply is one of the principal charitable activities of the organisation. Whilst this has some risk associated with it, SET remains close to 100% occupancy and has a long waiting list – as the cost of living increased, there was an increase in applications for studios at SET, which may reflect affordability being a primary concern of artists in London.

SET has also developed further strategies in 2022 to combat risks from the age and use of buildings which will be further developed in 2023 with new Maintenance Assistants joining and an increased Maintenance and Management Budget.

Further to this, in order to recover debt better from those who owe money to SET, SET has implemented a direct debit system and put more resources into working with artists to support them to make affordable payments back to SET. This work will continue in 2024.

SET needs to develop more reserves in the future to make the organisation more resilient in the face of difficult unforeseen circumstances.

Reserve Policy

SET has limited funds in reserve. In 2023 SET paid down long-term liabilities which had accrued as a result of the costs associated with inflation in maintenance costs and fixed building costs. SET also paid off many short-term liabilities. Much of this reduction in liabilities was due to the rent increase at the beginning of 2023.

SET aims to increase the annual surplus to £100,000 per annum to build further reserves. SET aims to build resilience through negotiating better contracts on meanwhile use sites with more funding offered by interested parties to create new centres, as well as working towards the purchase of assets, i.e. purchasing freeholds and leaseholds on new SET Centres.

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Plans For Future Periods

In January 2023 SET raised rents to reduce liabilities; by the end of 2023 the £100,000 in loans which covered increased costs were repaid. In 2024 SET needs to take on new meanwhile use sites in order to maintain the work SET does and the size of the organisation. In order to do this SET needs to build a team capable of taking on new sites: this means bringing in extra staff for compliance, accounting and finding new sites.

The charity has implemented a number of policies in relation to all aspects of personnel, and in 2023 began the process of writing further policies and procedures. The policies which had already been adopted in 2023 included, but were not limited to:

1. Equal Opportunities policy;

2. Volunteers’ policy;

3. Health and Safety policy;

4. Safer Space policy;

On top of this SET needs to work on reclaiming outstanding studios rents, which will pay off the rest of SET’s liabilities and put the charity in a position to increase reserves, following its reserves policy. The aim in 2022 was by the end of the calendar year, to keep £30,000 in unrestricted reserves. This aim was not wholly fulfilled, but the charity ran a good surplus across the year. If SET’s aim is to run a surplus close to £100,000 per annum, SET will soon build reserves. SET’s aim is to increase cultural infrastructure at a net minimum of 20,000 sq ft per annum over the next five years.

As was stated in the 2022 report having increased the scale and scope of its charitable activities by opening new sites in 2022, SET aimed for 2023 to be a year for the organisation to further develop its public arts programme and work on delivering within the centres which are currently open. 2024 has to be a year in which SET aims to both grow in net size and continue to deliver a programme on the scale of 2023, and deliver high-quality infrastructure for studios.

Further to this, SET is aware that the organisation is based almost entirely in meanwhile use sites and the focus is to build on its strategy for securing long-term sites where the charity can be secure in delivering its programme and providing affordable artists’ studios for the long-term.

Employees and Equal Opportunities Employment

Employees have been consulted on issues of concern to them by means of regular consultative staff meetings and have been kept informed on specific matters directly by the management team. The charity has a procedure for feedback to the management team and Trustees in the form of quarterly line management meetings, all-staff meetings, a complaints policy and procedure, and biannual reports written to the Trustees. The charity is also adopting a procedure of exit interviews for all staff leaving the organisation.

1. Complaints Against Members and Members of Staff policies and procedures;

2. New Associate Membership, Licence Agreements and Terms & Conditions; and

3. Various other policies and procedures that make up the Associate Members Handbook and the Staff Handbook.

In accordance with the charity’s equal opportunities policy, the charity has established fair employment practices in recruitment, selection, retention and training of staff. Full details of these policies are available from the charity.

Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

1. Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

2. Observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP (FRS 102);

3. Make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

4. State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards (FRS 102) have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;

5. Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in business.

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The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Charity’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the Trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Disclosure of information to auditors

Each of the persons who are Trustees at the time when this Trustees’ report is approved has confirmed that

1. So far as that Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charity’s auditors are unaware, and

2. That Trustee has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a Trustee in order to be aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity’s auditors are aware of that information.

Auditors

The auditors, Axis Accountants Ltd, have indicated their willingness to continue in office. The designated Trustees will propose a motion reappointing the auditors at a meeting of the Trustees.

The trustees’ annual report was approved on 31 October 2024 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:

Mr Robert AJ McLaren Trustee

This page: SET Woolwich Open Studios , view of the community garden, photographer Briony Mitchell, May 2023.

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Independent auditors’ report to the Members of Set Centre CIO

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Set Centre CIO (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 December 2023 which comprise the Statement of financial activities, the Balance sheet, the Statement of cash flows and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has been withdrawn.

This has been done in order for the accounts to provide a true and fair view in accordance with the Generally Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.

In our opinion the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 31 December 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources for the year then ended; have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Emphasis of matter

We draw attention to note 21 in the financial statements, which indicates that charity’s negative net assets may effect the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The trustees have addressed this issue and of the opinion that charity will have surplus funds in the following tewelve months period. Our opinion is not modified in respect of this matter.

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Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the Annual report other than the financial statements and our Auditors’ report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

1. the information given in the Trustees’ report is inconsistent in any material respect with the financial statements; or

2. sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or

3. the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

4. we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Trustees’ responsibilities statement, the Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements which give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditors’ report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Identifying and responding to risks of material misstatement due to fraud: To identify risks of material misstatement due to fraud (“fraud risks”) we assessed events or conditions that could indicate an incentive or pressure to commit fraud or provide an opportunity to commit fraud. Our risk assessment procedures included:

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1. Enquiring of management and trustees about charity’s policies and procedures to prevent and detect fraud, as well as whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud.

2. Using analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships.

3. We communicated identified fraud risks throughout the audit team and remained alert to any indications of fraud throughout the audit.

We performed procedures to address the risk of management override of controls and the risk of fraudulent revenue recognition, and the risk that management may be in a position to make inappropriate accounting entries.

We did not identify any additional fraud risks. We also performed procedures including:

1. Identifying journal entries and other adjustments to test based on risk criteria and comparing the identified entries to supporting documentation. These included unexpected revenue account combinations and journals posted to seldom used accosts during the financial year.

2. Evaluated the business purpose of significant unusual transactions. Identifying and responding to risks of material misstatement due to non-compliance with laws and regulations.

We identified areas of laws and regulations that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the financial statements from our general commercial and sector experience and through discussion with the management (as required by auditing standards) and discussed with the trustees and other management the policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations

.

We communicated identified laws and regulations throughout our team and remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit.

Use of our report

For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it.

In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of fraud, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. Our audit procedures are designed to detect material misstatement. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance or fraud and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Auditors’ report.

This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditors’ report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and its trustees, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Axis Accountants Ltd Chartered Certified Accountants & Registered Auditors Zeal House

8 Deer Park Road London SW19 3GY

31 October 2024

Context of the ability of the audit to detect fraud or breaches of law or regulation: Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards.

Axis Accountants Ltd are eligible to act as auditors in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

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Statement of financial activities for year ended 31 December 2023

Note Income from: Donations and legacies 3 Charitable activities 4 Other income 5 Total income Expenditure on: Charitable activities 6 Total expenditure Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward 3 Net movement in funds 4 Total funds carried forward	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£
		888		-	888		70,659
		1,445,963		26,256	1,472,219		1,181,928
		13,687		-	13,687		1,319
		1,460,538		26,256	1,486,794		1,253,906
		1,440,965		11,523	1,452,488		1,300,474
		1,440,965		11,523	1,452,488		1,300,474
			19,573	14,733		34,306	(46,568)
		(157,360)		-	(157,360)		(110,792)
		19,573		14,733	34,306		(46,568)
		(137,787)		14,733	(123,054)		(157,360)

Balance Sheet as at December 2023

Note Fixed assets Tangible assets 11 Current assets Debtors 12 Cash at bank and in hand Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 13 Net current liabilities Total assets less current liabilities Net liabilities excluding pension asset Total net assets Charity funds Restricted funds 15 Unrestricted funds 15 Total funds			2023 *£ 2022 £_ 113,325 136,621 113,325* _136,621 148,246 14,858 163,094 (457,075)	2022 *£
				136,621
				136,621
			(236,379) (123,054) (123,054) (123,054) 14,733 (137,787) (123,054)	(293,981)
				(157,360)
				(157,360)
				(157,360)
				-
				(157,360)
				(157,360)

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees on 31 October 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

The Statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

The notes on pages 14 to 26 form part of these financial statements.

Mr Robert AJ Mclaren Chair of Trustees

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Notes to the financial statements For the Year Ended 31 December

Statement of cash flows

Statement of cash flows
Cash fows from operating activities Net cash used in operating activities Cash fows from investing activities Net cash provided by investing activities Cash fows from fnancing activities Net cash provided by fnancing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year	2023 *£ 2022 *£
	(6,741) 10,599
	-
	-
	(6,741) 10,599
	14,858 4,259
		8,117 14,858

1. General information

The charity is registered charity as Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) - Foundation in England and Wales. The address of principal office is SET, Riverside House, Beresford Street, London, SE18 6BU

2. Accounting policies

2.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The financial statements have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair’ view. This departure has involved following the Charities SORP (FRS 102) published in October 2019 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.

Set Centre CIO meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

2.2 Income

All income is recognised once the Charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

Grants are included in the Statement of financial activities on a receivable basis. The balance of income received for specific purposes but not expended during the period is shown in the relevant funds on the Balance sheet.

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Where income is received in advance of entitlement of receipt, its recognition is deferred and included in creditors as deferred income. Where entitlement occurs before income is received, the income is accrued.

Depreciation is provided on the following bases: Fixtures and fittings: - 12.5% straight line method Office equipment: - 25% reducing balance method

2.5 Debtors

Other income is recognised in the period in which it is receivable and to the extent the goods have been provided or on completion of the service.

2.3 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.

Expenditure on charitable activities is incurred on directly undertaking the activities which further the Charity’s objectives, as well as any associated support costs.

All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

2.4 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets costing £NIL or more are capitalised and recognised when future economic benefits are probable and the cost or value of the asset can be measured reliably.

Tangible fixed assets are initially recognised at cost. After recognition, under the cost model, tangible fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated impairment losses. All costs incurred to bring a tangible fixed asset into its intended working condition should be included in the measurement of cost.

Depreciation is charged so as to allocate the cost of tangible fixed assets less their residual value over their estimated useful lives.

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

2.6 Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

2.7 Liabilities and provisions

Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably.

Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the Charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.

Provisions are measured at the best estimate of the amounts required to settle the obligation. Where the effect of the time value of money is material, the provision is based on the present value of those amounts, discounted at the pre-tax discount rate that reflects the risks specific to the liability. The unwinding of the discount is recognised in the Statement of financial activities as a finance cost.

2.8 Financial instruments

The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

2.9 Pensions

The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme and the pension charge represents the amounts payable by the Charity to the fund in respect of the year.

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2.10 Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the Charity for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

3. Income from donations and legacies

Donations Grants Total 2022	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£
			888	- 888 8,445
			-	- - 62,214
			888	- 888 70,659
		12,659		58,000 70,659

5. Other incoming resources

5. Other incoming resources
Other income Other incoming resources 2 Total 2022	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£
		13,593	13,593 1,319
		94	94 -
		13,687	13,687 1,319
		1,319	1,319

6. Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities Summary by fund type

Affordable Artists’ Workspace Other income Arts’ Programme Total 2022	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£
		1,422,627	-	1,422,627 1,266,105
		18,338	11,523	29,861 34,369
		1,440,965	11,523	1,452,488 1,300,474
		1,242,474	58,000	1,300,474

7. Analysis of expenditure by activities

4. Income from charitable activities

Income from charitable activities - Affordable Artists’ Workspace Income from charitable activities - Arts’ Programme Total 2022	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£
		1,442,971	-	1,442,971 1,173,845
		2,992	-	29,248 8,083
		1,445,963	26,256	1,472,219 1,181,928
		1,181,928	-	1,181,928

Affordable Artists’ Workspace Other income Arts’ Programme Total 2022	Activities undertaken directly 2023 *£ Support costs 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022*£	Activities undertaken directly 2023 *£ Support costs 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022*£	Activities undertaken directly 2023 *£ Support costs 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022*£	Activities undertaken directly 2023 *£ Support costs 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022*£
		1,193,094 2	29,533	1,422,627 1,266,105
		29,861	-	29,861 34,369
		1,222,955 2	29,533	1,452,488 1,300,474
		1,118,561 1	81,912	1,300,474

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7.1. Analysis of direct costs

Staff costs Fixed building costs Maintenance and management Welfare and social Water, light and heat Technology Legal and professional Insurances General expenses Arts programme Depreciation Total 2022	Affordable Artists’ Workspace 2023 *£ Arts’ Programme 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Affordable Artists’ Workspace 2023 *£ Arts’ Programme 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Affordable Artists’ Workspace 2023 *£ Arts’ Programme 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Affordable Artists’ Workspace 2023 *£ Arts’ Programme 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Affordable Artists’ Workspace 2023 *£ Arts’ Programme 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£
		270,475		-	270,475 183,800
		227,507		-	227,507 194,159
		235,507		-	235,507 284,667
		337		-	337 7,572
		352,792		-	352,792 309,105
		32,312		-	32,312 31,635
		26,864		-	26,864 29,440
		16,671		-	16,671 14,462
		2,417		-	2,417 1,466
			-	29,861	29,861 34,369
		28,212		-	28,212 27,886
		1,193,094		29,861	1,222,955 1,118,561
		1,084,193		34,369	1,118,561

7.2. Analysis of support costs

Staff costs Welfare and social Technology Legal and professional General expenses Depreciation Governance costs Total 2022	Affordable Artists’ Workspace 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Affordable Artists’ Workspace 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£	Affordable Artists’ Workspace 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2022 *£
		159,958	159,958 43,598
		617	617 -
		6,016	6,016 -
		15,974	15,974 -
		16,737	16,737 -
		4,297	4,297 3,530
		25,934	25,934 134,784
		229,533	229,533 181,912
		181,912	181,912

8. Auditors’ remuneration

Fees payable to the Charity’s auditor and its associates for the audit of the Charity’s annual accounts Fees payable to the Charity’s auditor and its associates in respect of: All non-audit services not included above	2023 *£ 2022 *£	2023 *£ 2022 *£
		10,800 9,300
		14,244 10,860

9. Staff costs

Wages and salaries Social security costs Contribution to defned contribution pension schemes		2023 *£ 2022 *£
		391,398 216,300
		30,812 8,823
		8,223 2,275
		430,433 227,398

The average number of persons employed by the Charity during the year was as follows:

Full time Part time	2023 *No. 2022 *No.	2023 *No. 2022 *No.
		10 8
		5 -
		15 8

No employee received remuneration amounting to more than £60,000 in either year.

The key management and operational personnel of the charity comprises of the senior staff members named Mr R Fischer-Vousden, Mr J Field, Mr O Tobin, Ms E Dobbs, Ms J Thomas and Mr D Gatenio. The total amount of employees’ salary and benefits received by key management personnel for their services to the charity were £236,085 (2022: £205,503)

10. Trustees’ remuneration and expenses

During the year, no Trustees received any remuneration or other benefits (2022 - £NIL-). During the year ended 31 December 2023, no Trustee expenses have been incurred (2022 - £NIL).

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11. Tangible fixed assets

Cost or valuation At 1 January 2023 Additions At 31 December 2023 Depreciation At 1 January 2023 Charge for the year At 31 December 2023 Net book value At 1 January 2023 At 31 December 2023	Fixtures and fttings *£ Offce equipment *£ Total *£	Fixtures and fttings *£ Offce equipment *£ Total *£	Fixtures and fttings *£ Offce equipment *£ Total *£
		223,087	24,949 248,036
		2,611	6,601 9,212
		225,698	31,550 257,248
		97,054	14,361 111,415
		28,212	4,297 32,509
		125,266	18,658 143,924
		100,432	12,892 113,324
		126,033	10,588 136,621

12. Debtors

Due within one year Trade debtors Other debtors Prepayments and accrued income		2023 *£ 2022 *£
		196,376 59,878
		15,385 88,358
		52,338 -
		264,099 148,236

13. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors Other taxation and social security Other creditors Accruals and deferred income		2023 *£ 2022 *£
		234,506 221,211
		69,170 31,437
		71,784 195,057
		133,135 9,370
		508,595 457,075

14. Financial instruments

Financial assets Financial assets measured at fair value through income and expenditure	2023 *£ 2022 *£	2023 *£ 2022 *£
		8,117 14,858

Financial assets measured at fair value through income and expenditure comprise cash at bank

15. Statement of funds

Current Year Unrestricted funds Reserves Restricted funds Open studios I will live many years in this room Cultural bridge Restricted funds Prior Year Unrestricted funds General Funds - all funds Reserves Restricted funds Restricted Funds - all funds Total of funds	Balance at 1 January 2023 *£ Income *£ Expenditure *£ Balance at 31 December 2023 *£	Balance at 1 January 2023 *£ Income *£ Expenditure *£ Balance at 31 December 2023 *£	Balance at 1 January 2023 *£ Income *£ Expenditure *£ Balance at 31 December 2023 *£	Balance at 1 January 2023 *£ Income *£ Expenditure *£ Balance at 31 December 2023 *£
		(157,360)	1,460,538	(1,440,965) (137,787)
		-	11,000	(8,350) 2,650
		-	12,083	- 12,083
		-	3,173	(3,173) -
		-	26,256	(11,523) 14,733
		(157,360)	1,486,794	(1,452,488) (123,054)
	Balance at 1 January 2022 £_ _Income £ Expenditure £ _Balance at 31 _December 2022 £
		-	1,195,906	(1,242,474) (46,568)
		(110,792)	-	- (110,792)
		(110,792)	1,195,906	(1,242,474) (157,360)
		-	58,000	(58,000) -
		(110,792)	1,253,906	(1,300,474) (157,360)

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16. Summary of funds

Current Year General funds Restricted funds Prior Year General funds Restricted funds	Balance at 1 January 2023 *£ Income *£ Expenditure *£ Balance at 31 December 2023 *£	Balance at 1 January 2023 *£ Income *£ Expenditure *£ Balance at 31 December 2023 *£	Balance at 1 January 2023 *£ Income *£ Expenditure *£ Balance at 31 December 2023 *£	Balance at 1 January 2023 *£ Income *£ Expenditure *£ Balance at 31 December 2023 *£
		(157,360)	1,460,538	(1,440,965) (137,787)
		-	26,256	(11,523) 14,733
		(157,360)	1,486,794	(1,452,488) (123,054)
	Balance at 1 January 2022 £_ _Income £ Expenditure £ _Balance at 31 _December 2022 £
		(110,792)	1,195,906	(1,242,474) (157,360)
		-	58,000	(58,000) -
		(110,792)	1,253,906	(1,300,474) (157,360)

17. Analysis of net assets between funds

Current Year Tangible fxed assets Current assets Creditors due within one year Total	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£	Unrestricted funds 2023 *£ Restricted funds 2023 *£ Total funds 2023 *£
	113,325		- 113,325
	257,483		14,733 272,216
	(508,595)		- (508,595)
		(137,787)	14,733 (123,054)

Prior Year Tangible fxed assets Current assets Creditors due within one year Total	Unrestricted funds 2022 £ _Total funds _2022 £	Unrestricted funds 2022 £ _Total funds _2022 £
		136,621 136,621
		163,094 163,094
		(457,075) (457,075)
		(157,360) (157,360)

18. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities

Net income/expenditure for the year (as per Statement of Financial Activities) Adjustments for: Depreciation charges Increase in debtors Increase in creditors Purchase of fxed assets Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities	2023 *£ 2022 *£	2023 *£ 2022 *£
	34,306 (46,568)
	32,509 31,416
	(115,863) (117,450)
		51,520 199,240
		(9,213) (56,039)
		(6,741) 10,599

19. Analysis of cash and cash equivalents

Cash in hand Total cash and cash equivalents	2023 *£ 2022 *£	2023 *£ 2022 *£
		8,117 14,858
		8,117 14,858

20. Analysis of changes in net debt

Cash at bank and in hand	At 1 January 2023 *£ Cash fows *£ At 31 December 2023 *£	At 1 January 2023 *£ Cash fows *£ At 31 December 2023 *£	At 1 January 2023 *£ Cash fows *£ At 31 December 2023 *£
		14,858	(6,741) 8,117
		14,858	(6,741) 8,117

21. Going Concern

The charity has made surplus £34,306 but has negative net assets of £123,054 at the year end. The management and trustees are working in accordance with the budget of 2024 and 2025 which include price increase and efficiency savings in order to bring net assets into positive. The trustees are of the opinion that the charity is going concern for the foreseeable future and charity’s funds will be in surplus in next 12 months.

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