#21 Robinson Road
50 stories from The Acme Archive
Acme’s studios in Bethnal Green are located in a former toothbrush, and then steel furniture, factory that sits between Robinson Road and Bonner Road and has been known as both Robinson Road Studios and Bonner Road studios. Remnants of the building’s former life are still present in the form of a set of GB Kent toothbrushes found in the building, and the office clock.
The studios at Robinson Road first opened in 1982 and contains 48 studios. The site differs from other studio buildings in that it comprises several buildings around a yard, which creates an informal communal space. One of these buildings has a large plaque indicating its industrial past. Robinson Road was home to the Acme office between 1982 and 1992, when it moved to its current home in Copperfield Road and is currently home to the Acme archive. At the Bonner Road entrance there is a small exhibition space. This is currently home to Auto Italia, an artist-run organisation which commissions and produces new work. It was the Acme Project Space between 2009 and 2015 and, prior to that, the Showroom Gallery.
Over 250 artists have been based at Robinson Road during their time with Acme – some having been at Robinson Road since the early 1980s, some have also had studios in other buildings and Acme short life houses. Many of these artists have contributed to open studios on a regular basis since the studios opened.