Unit 2F / Mutter

In the heart of Hackney Wick, a neighborhood once at the centre of industry and rave culture—and where the first plastic in the UK was manufactured—stands one of the last original warehouses to survive the wave of generic London architecture. When Helena first moved into the space she now calls home, 11 years ago, there wasn't a crane in sight. The streets were quiet, almost free of CCTV, and buildings looked abandoned at first glance. Behind closed doors, though, life thrived. Underground communities of artists, makers, and eccentrics carved out a life in one of the most expensive cities in the world, coexisting with mechanics, welders, lumber yards, and other industrial neighbors.