What is the Mobile Archive?
The Mobile Archive is a moveable resource on wheels, storing books, art materials, audio equipment and headsets. It’s also a modular piece of furniture, incorporating shelves, a fold out table and stools for crafting and feasting.
The design is influenced by our local area and incorporates materials from Peckham, with a focus on re-use: fruit crates from Rye Lane; elements made of wood from the reclamation yard at Queens Road; and hand woven shelves.
“One of my favourite parts of designing the Mobile Archive was the research. Thinking deeply about Peckham’s cultural landscape and exploring how this could be meaningfully incorporated into the structure. Walking down Peckham High Street, speaking with vendors, learning about the family‑owned businesses and collecting the crates made the process feel rooted in place. Bringing these materials into the design was especially rewarding; Seb and I were excited to see how these upcycled elements became integral components of the final modular system.”
– Lauren Rechere, co-creator of the Mobile Archive
“The crates and fruit boxes are a standout for me, I think it captures a warming element of the food and fruit market communities around us.”
– Sebastian T Heske, co-creator of the Mobile Archive
Who made it?
Responding to what we learned from our 2024-2026 Memories for the Future programme and with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we commissioned architect and spatial designer Lauren Rechere and the fabricator and designer Sebastian Heske to create a functional, flexible structure, providing a home for resources, materials and recordings as well as a place to reflect, play and add to this collection.
What’s in it?
The bookcases showcase a rotating collection of titles from Peckham Platform’s own book, academic text and zine library. There are recorders to take field recordings, headphones to listen to community playlists and a fold up desk to write, draw, or make at. The structure is designed to be adaptive, interactive and responsive.
“My favourite part of the Mobile Archive is the modular aspect of the object. The fact that it can be used in different forms that highlight the content, the intention and how it’s used in various environments is pretty cool.
During the early stages of design process with Lauren, we wanted to keep the idea of a library, but wanting to add a element of surprise with the Mobile Archive being multifunctional in how it can be used and interacted with. How the seats/shelves can be taken apart and used as stools, or how you can add or stack material in the boxes. We wanted that to be one of the key features of the design.”
– Sebastian T Heske, co-creator of the Mobile Archive
How is it used?
The Mobile Archive enables the Peckham Platform team to respond to community interests and themes with a co-curated selection of resources and can be easily transported to pop up in street spaces and venues for workshops, events, festivals and other outings.
“[It’s an] opportunity to celebrate the heritage, infrastructure and evolving identity of Peckham. Designing a spatial intervention that reflects this cultural landscape is something I hold closely. I hope the structure not only preserves existing memories but also creates space for new ones to emerge, becoming a living archive.”
– Lauren Lechere, co-creator of the Mobile Archive
Where’s it been?
19 July 2026: Making Our Neighbourhood event, Burgess Park
19 September 2026: Palace of the Dogs event, Copeland Park
“The Mobile Archive brought something quietly powerful to the day: a space where people could slow down, encounter local stories and think about whose memories make up a place. It gave the festival a depth that could not have come from the stage programme alone.”
– Organisers of Making Our Neighbourhood, 2026
How can I have it at my event?
The Mobile Archive is available for workshops, exhibitions, festivals and community events. If you’re interested, please contact us for more details.
