The good space.

Designed by oH ARTLAB, a strategically conceived pop-up gallery and creative space that reinvented an unused unit above the ōH Foundation Concept Store on Bridge Street Row West in Chester’s historic Rows.

In just six weeks, an 850 sq ft former commercial space was transformed into a dynamic venue for exhibitions, events, art installations, and experimental pop-up stores — demonstrating how minimal intervention and thoughtful design can unlock the latent potential of dormant urban spaces.

ARTLAB spatial intervention included of creating deconstructed stair core cladded in re-used perspex sheets & dynamic lighting.

Located in a 17th-century building owned by Chester Race Company, the ARTLAB project was intentional in its approach: rather than stripping back the site to create a generic “white-cube” gallery, the design celebrated the building’s rich history. Layers of historic fabric were revealed and integrated into the gallery environment, inviting visitors to encounter the space itself as part of the artistic narrative.

Black Widow installation at Artlab by artist Suze Schneider

The inaugural ARTLAB activator was Chester-based, internationally exhibited artist Mark Wigan, whose month-long residency set the tone for the space. Wigan’s exhibition, Art by the Metre, took an innovative approach to materiality and place: expansive rolls of canvas and paper acted as drawn maps of interpersonal and psychogeographical connections across Chester — a creative mapping of the city’s character, both historic and contemporary.

Mark Wigan at Artlab

ARTLAB has provided a flexible cultural platform for local and visiting artists alike, hosting exhibitions, launches, performances, screenings, and creative activations, cultivating a space that is less formal than traditional galleries and more open to experimental, unconventional works while fostering a sense of collective curiosity and community.

ARTLAB at oH stands as a compelling case study for adaptive reuse and “meanwhile use” — a practice of temporarily activating underutilised buildings to generate cultural value, support creative enterprise, and animate urban centres. By making creative use of a vacant unit on Chester’s Rows, the project not only drew footfall but also demonstrated how strategic interventions can play a role in the long-term revitalisation of historic retail districts facing vacancies and evolving high-street dynamics.

With the wider vision of how creative spaces can contribute meaningfully to the cultural and economic fabric of the city, utilising a minimum intervention, adaptive reuse approach.

BEPO popup store featuring limited edition Eurovision range in collaboration with Liverpool One

VISIT PROJECT PAGE HERE.