RampART was opened May 2004 and is located at 15-17 Rampart Street, London E1 2LA. The project was initiated by a mixture of artists, community groups and political activists. Within the first year, the building had hosted over 100 cultural and political events – placing the rampART firmly on the activist map of London.
The centre is run by an open collective as an autonomous space. It is open to all on the basis of equality for all. Projects are run on an entirely voluntary basis by the people involved. They are not charity workers or social workers. The projects are run in the spirit of co-operation, solidarity and mutual aid. It is not a commercial enterprises run for profit – instead it is funded day-to-day by donations given by the users, or by raising funds through benefit events such as gigs, cafés or film nights.
The rampART constitution states that:
The rampART is run collectively. Any one is free to get involved or make proposals relating to use of the space by come along to one of the weekly meetings which are held Mondays after 6pm. We attempt to make all major decisions relating use of the space by building a consensus, both out of a desire to avoid hierarchies and also in recognition that decisions are more likely to be carried out when decided by consensus.
