London
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20 Stainer Street
London SE1 9RL
+44 (0) 207 378 7776
The SHUNT LOUNGE is a members' bar, deep in the tunnels under London Bridge Station. Look for the little door under the vaults.
Each week will be curated by a different Shunt artist. Some will fill the space with nonstop entertainment, some will do next to nothing, fortunately the bar staff are more reliable.
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September 04, 2008
I love dark spaces, in fact I am rather obsessed with the lighting in bars. This either stems from a problem with my retina or from a love of the illicit, the daring and downwright secretive. When I heard of Shunt I was told "games room, bar, art space". So I expected exactly that. What I got was "dark dark dark games room, bar, art space". Pockets of interesting and fun art and games that made me want to run around with my hair in pigtails playing hide and seek.
Shunt is under the arches of London Bridge and apparently takes up one third of the overall space underneath the station. If that is true then the station vaults must be massive. Shunt is pretty big and stretches from Joiner Street to Tooley Street under the station. There is a cover charge of £5 weekdays and £10 at weekends, plus it's only open certain days so check the website to be sure.
You don't know what art will be on. When I went last as you walk along the main tunnel there were coat-hangers dangling in archways with bits of clothing and lighting to make you weep; wispy, minimal and mysterious. In another room there were images and audio inside 1 foot-wide holes in the wall, 3 levels high. Meaning you had to get a battery pack, climb a ladder and stick your head in this pitch black hole. Feel for the cables, plug in, headphones on and you're off - this one: a commentary on being a parent; different in each room, with visuals and audio lit via the battery - just lovely.
There's also a bar, a games room with a sit-down table version of space invaders and frog! Plus pool, table football and pinball. There's an MC/commentator on the nights events informing you that the band will be in x room shortly and more.
Overall I just loved the amount of space and lighting, lots of room to yourself, little groups of chairs and a table, lit by a candles with ten feet until the next table. Ah, I can breath...
Oh and did I mention that it is really dark?
