Beyond the orange gates of Florentina Village, Jen, the upcycling designer behind 3o6 studios, hosts a range of workshops from linoprinting to spiritual clubs. A tucked away community of like minded creatives connecting over cute vision boards and bedazzled panties.
More recently, 3o6 hosted ZZEG ZZAG and pocket society’s pool, dance and art evening.
Pocket society is a community driven alternative to the London nightlife. Hosting pool-led events, they mix tournaments, music and fashion to create meaningful and low pressure nights out. They bring together beginners, casual pool players and anyone looking for a relaxed space. Their upcoming events are focused on pool lessons and even expanding to Manchester for a girl’s night.
I met with Arina, the creator, learning her ideas behind hosting different pool events and the meaning behind it.
So, why pool?
Arina: Growing up Eastern European, pool is a normality which everyone takes part in. Whereas, in the UK pool is heavily associated with masculine energy. You can definitely smell and feel it in the pool hall! It never really felt right for me; I wanted to create a safe space for queer communities and women.
I actually met Jen on my masters course at university, where this idea started coming to life. My dream was to open a pool club. Loud music and clubbing was a bit too much for me, I feel like with pool you get to meet so many people in a much quieter environment. It is like an ice breaker, making it easier to interact with others whether they’re nervous about playing or something funny happens during a game.
Exactly, I feel like conversations with strangers at the club can be so easily forgotten or short lived but, here you have time to really be engaged and leave having made new connections.
What was your first event like?
Arina: We had a pop up at university, about a year ago with a few friends and a pool table. Last August, our first official event, was when Jen and I hosted a screen printing and pool evening. I also have a fashion design background, so the prints on the t-shirts were designed by me and related to pocket society. We actually celebrated our one year at the beginning of June!
Happy one year! I’m interested, are a lot of people who come to pocket society’s events beginners?
Arina: In the beginning, I would position it as open to everyone, no matter the level. So there were a lot of people who have never even played. Whenever they would learn how to play as the game progressed, I would get so excited, it was like they were my babies. It feels super cool! Pocket society is a safe space for others to try it out, as well as people who do love to play but don't feel as comfortable in other places.
I love all the events we have done, I am definitely ready for another challenge. We already host events in Manchester and have a pool teacher at most of our events. Recently, I have been researching different spaces to have as my own, I feel like this is the next big thing coming for pocket society later this year.
The organiser behind this event, Amanda, answered a few questions on why collaboration matters and the importance of community.
ZZEG ZZAG is a platform started from a desire to connect and share other creatives’ interest in various types of art. Their gatherings range from fashion shows to postcard workshops with the end goal of meeting new people.
What was it that interested you in organising this with pocket society?
Amanda: I feel like I really took this year to collaborate as much as possible. The reason for it being pool is obviously, it’s pocket society’s thing but, for me, anything that is ‘play’ or an activity is really important. Doing these events means creating playful moments, even if only a small number of people show up, it pushes me to put myself out there. Events like this are great for meeting other creatives and cool people in general.
How was it hosting your first event?
Amanda: Long story short, I grew up in Brazil and had a few friends that would rap battle in the streets. So, I made a small group for girls to rhyme and freestyle as I felt it was too male dominated, leading to my first beach rap event. There were about 1,000 people interested, but it got cancelled by the mayor!
With ZZEG ZZAG, my first ever event was a meet up at a park. There was a fashion show, a small marketplace and DJs. I was actually thinking about it today, everything you do, you just need to start and keep pushing. How do you host events? Just throw yourself in the deep end and learn as you go!
I love the idea of a beach rap battle, especially creating a space for girls to learn. Why is community so important?
Amanda: Human beings need community. You don’t need to have a bunch of friends or see people everyday but, I do think that you need some kind of support from other people. It is important to meet other creatives and relate on what you may be going through as an artist. Being surrounded by people who think similarly to you is definitely good for the soul, by hosting community events I hope for other people to experience that but, also I can experience that. There is something so beautiful about being out with strangers, exchanging shared issues and ideas.
Written by Wiktoria Dojucka for 3o6 Studios <33