Hidden London: The Tabernacle

The Tabernacle in Notting Hill- the home of Notting Hill CarnivalInterview with CEO of Carnival, Mathew Phillip

Transcript

00:00The Tabernacle is in the heart of North Kensington, which is where Carnival happens,

00:04so it's inevitable that it's always going to play a kind of pivotal part in the development of Carnival.

00:11The Tabernacle is almost the beating heart of Carnival,

00:14with lots of meetings happening throughout the year in the space.

00:17Bands rehearse here, we have events throughout the year that highlight and showcase Carnival arts.

00:24Over the years it's always been a central space,

00:28almost like a hub of the community, for people from all different backgrounds,

00:33you know, it's very... North Kensington is a very mixed area,

00:37and the Tabernacle and the community that use it reflect that.

00:43One of our artists in residence is a gentleman named Carl Gabriel,

00:47who's been a photographer and an artist in Carnival for many decades,

00:53and we showcase a lot of his work in the Tabernacle,

00:56both inside the building and in the garden here.

01:00The Tabernacle, as a community hub, welcomes people from all walks of life who use the building,

01:06and a lot of those are contributors and the producers of Nottingham Carnival,

01:10whether they're sound systems, mass bands, steel band players, etc.,

01:14or even just people from the local community that have an interest and love and support Carnival.

01:20Whether it's people learning how to play steel pan or making costumes,

01:23they're all what lead up to and tie into Nottingham Carnival, you know,

01:28we're building up to a big crescendo at the end of August.