You know in Blade where down a back alley, behind a nondescript door there is a vampire rave where everyone is going crazy to some Chemical Brothers tune and blood spurts from the ceiling? Well that sort of stuff happens all the time, you lot just have your heads shoved too deep in your London Lites to see it. This is the third in a regular series where we go where few dare to tread in order to bring the braying masses (you) reports from the un-trodden nooks and crannies of culture. Expect reports on mole-men, underground rivers and guerrilla croquet. For this third installment we sent Don't Panic designer Phoebe Hartigan to an exhibition called Under the Bridge, which took place... under a bridge.

With the weather being as cold, rainy and miserable as ever, it seemed like the perfect time to throw on a coat and head down to a guerrilla art exhibition underneath the very well illuminated Albert Bridge on the banks of the Thames.

All lit up

Despite the wind, the rain and the cold we were greeted by smiling attendants, attempting to keep us warm and in the mood with plastic cups of mulled wine, music and of course the inspiring art plastered all over the walls.

Signing the guest book

Curated and organised by Emma Maconie, otherwise known as Macki*, this was a unique opportunity for some fresh young artists and designers to showcase their talents - many of them students of the College for the Creative Arts. The exhibition showcased works from various disciplines and mediums including photography, illustration, product design, performance and the interactive arts, using the location as the theme for the various pieces.

Pig Activities by Amelia Karlsen

Macki* described the event as being "inspired by street renegades and their innovative and quirky methods of communicating with the urban environment”. This wasn't your average street corner dub however. The artists were seeking “fresh directions beyond street art by using new materials and techniques to shock, educate and entertain."

Under the bridge

Each piece was displayed in its own unique way upon the already aging and graffiti-covered walls. Besides the walls themselves, not a single piece of graffiti was to be seen. The standard and the diversity of each piece was impressive.

The ironically titled Affordable Housing Project by Holly Steidl, George Ellisone and Lily Arnold was literally just a mish-mash of different sized cardboard boxes hastily taped together to form one oversized box, which even boasted a front door. Inside it was surprisingly warm. Perhaps we should have left it for someone who may who may have needed it.

Affordable Housing Project by Holly Steidl, George Ellisone and Lily Arnold

Macki*’s "Trippy Tramp" were living, breathing installations, dressed in whatever bits and bobs she managed to pull together from her wardrobe.

Trippy Tramps

Also interesting was Sound Tag:Albert by Matthew Plummer Fernandez. Over the course of the day Matthew attached microphones to the supporting structures of the bridge and recorded its sounds. He then graphed the sound in 3D and converted it into a perspex sculpture using a laser cutter.

The mulled wine kept flowing, but so did the chilled wind and the crowd slowly dropped off one by one, leaving the gallery stripped down and packed up by the healthy hour of 11 o’clock.

For more on the event check out http://mackistar.wordpress.com/category/news/