We realized that not
only was this somewhere
for us to get creative, it
had so much potential
to be a creative space for
others – maybe we could
actually help people in
our community who
were feeling isolated,
disconnected or just
plain bored, to find
inspiration and connect
with each other.
The Kompound Art Zone, as it will
officially be known, will be a creative hub
hosting arts and crafts workshops, where
Louis and I will be running small group
classes (of no more than twelve, to keep it
intimate) based on our own creative skills,
and we’ll also be welcoming workshops
held by other people with something to
teach or share. We aim to offer a diverse
range of topics from bicycle building to
jewelry making to meditation to pottery.
We’re open to (almost) anything. We will
also make the Kompound available for
seminars, counselling, club meetings and
small functions.
We want The Kompound to be
a visual feast for visitors, combining
our obvious love of Kombi vans with
an eclectic collection of oddities and
curiosities. The goal is to offer people
a broad range of inspiration to create
or collect, so we’ve tried to present a
different scene wherever you look, with
something for all ages and backgrounds.
All kinds of objects will be on display,
hanging from ceilings and off walls;
things we’ve collected and that people
have kindly donated. We’ll gladly accept
anything old, unusual or strange and we
also make a point of telling people that
they’re welcome to display their pieces
temporarily at The Kompound. We’d like
to keep the displays constantly changing,
so we’re always on the lookout!
There are quirky collections, old
wares with interesting histories and
some weirdness thrown in: themed
Kombi vans, antique motorbikes from as
far back as 1911, a small library, Snoopy
collectables, mid-century kitchenalia,
a steampunk museum bus of Victorian
oddities including taxidermy and dark
objets d’art, two stages for music/
performance and presentations, uniquely
themed vintage caravans, a VW Beetle
fire pit, a retro hotdog van, a vintage
circus-themed courtyard area and a
nod to Old Shanghai! All of this will be
available for photo shoots for formals,
weddings, advertising and magazine
editorials and more.
We plan to hold open days a couple
of times a year to showcase what we do,
with a mini market for the people who
do the workshops to sell their creations,
along with some car and vintage caravan
displays. We’ll also have invitation-only
themed nights for a bit of fun! Eventually
we’ll have the gardens established with
a whimsical fantasy-themed sculpture
garden as the centrepiece, which will also
be great for photo opportunities as well
as a chill zone and creative workspace.
We’re just so excited about the
project and we really hope we can
inspire a whole new culture of creativity
in Warwick. Our unofficial slogan is: ‘Find
your thing at The Kompound’ and we’re
hoping we can help people do that and
have a lot of fun ourselves at the same
time!” VCM
vintagecaravanmagazine | 25