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FROM PIE TO RYTHM - 
CAMDEN THROUGH FOOD AND MUSIC

The Art Department at Haverstock is proud to present an exhibition by our Year 11 Art and Design GCSE students, exploring the multicultural history and identity of Camden.
Our project began in the summer of 2026, when students visited the Roundhouse’s exhibition From Soundboy to Streaming. Inspired by its celebration of youth culture and its use of personal objects, photographs and archival material, students set out on a journey to discover what makes an archive, how archival material can be researched and sourced, and how it can be transformed into a creative exhibition.
The challenge was enormous: how do you capture Camden’s rich and constantly changing multicultural history? To tackle it, students worked collaboratively, taking on different roles and learning about research, design, construction and curation along the way. Most importantly, they discovered what it means to work together as a team.
Each group began with a shared interest and developed a theme that felt meaningful to them. Their ideas range from Camden’s restaurants to its legendary music scene, and from the stories of migration that have shaped the borough to the everyday traditions shared within families and communities such as home recipes.

CAMDEN OF THE PAST 

One group explored Camden’s food scene and how it has evolved alongside migration and changing communities.
One side of their exhibition board looks at long-established institutions, including Castle’s Pie and Mash, a much-loved restaurant on Royal College Street. Students carried out extensive research into Camden’s migration history, uncovering the borough’s deep Irish and Jewish roots, including the arrival of railway workers who came to build the new tracks and helped shape the area.
Their research then moved through the waves of migration that transformed Camden during the 20th century, including Italian and Greek communities and the restaurants they established as they made the borough their home. Later, the arrival of the Windrush generation brought new flavours, traditions and influences, further enriching Camden’s culinary landscape.
The other side of the exhibition looks at more recent generations of migrants and the food cultures they have brought with them. With a particular focus on Camden Market and the changing character of the area, this part of the exhibition celebrates a Camden that continues to evolve and welcomes tourists, locals and temporary residents alike.

MUSIC OF CAMDEN

For millions of visitors from around the world, Camden is inseparable from music. From Amy Winehouse and Madness to Dua Lipa and countless emerging artists, the borough has earned its reputation as one of the UK’s great music destinations.
This is what inspired one group to explore Camden’s music scene: its legendary gig venues, the spaces that have stood the test of time, and those that have sadly disappeared.
One side of their exhibition celebrates the venues that have made Camden a destination for live music. The other explores the genres that have become closely associated with the borough and can still be heard spilling onto its streets.
Using real musical instruments, customised with colours, patterns and imagery inspired by different musical genres, the students have created an energetic explosion of creativity, information and sound. Their work invites us to imagine Camden’s musical past, from the Jimi Hendrix Experience performing at the Roundhouse in 1967 to the many sounds that continue to define the borough today.

FOOD OF CAMDEN

Moving away from the energy and spectacle of Camden’s High Street, another group chose to focus on what they believe really makes Camden: its people.
Behind closed doors, cultures are lived, celebrated and shared. Nowhere is this more evident than around the dinner table. Family recipes carry memories, traditions and stories, passing from one generation to the next.
At the heart of this exhibition board, each student has reflected on a personal recipe that has been handed down through their family. Reflecting the incredible diversity of the group, each dish has been brought to life through painting, alongside a large recipe book inviting visitors to discover and perhaps even try something new. This exhibition celebrates the things that make us different while reminding us that culture is never fixed. It changes, travels and grows as people share it with one another. And what better way to share culture than through food?
Each group has explored an interest that is deeply personal and connected to their experience of living in or around Camden. Together, their work reflects the many reasons why Camden is known and loved around the world. This exhibition is a celebration of the histories that have shaped the borough, the people who arrived and made it their home, those who passed through, and those who stayed and became part of its ever-changing story.

We hope you enjoy this special exhibition and leave with a renewed appreciation for Camden, its sounds, its flavours, its histories and, above all, its people.

Visit the Exhibition

Families and staff are warmly invited to view the work and celebrate the achievements of our Year 11 Art and Design GCSE students.

Wednesday 7 October | 4:30–5:30pm | Haverstock Library

Come along to explore the students’ work and discover more about Camden’s food, music, history and culture.

Guillaume Tran,
Art Technician