Hackney Wicked Art Festival 2013. Pic: Hackney Wicked

Hackney WickED festival survives after a successful second meeting with eager artists and community members.

The event will transform into a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) open studio, where people are invited to enjoy art, meet artists and purchase pieces.

Many displayed a strong interest in the small-scale event during a meeting held last night. The festival faced difficulties after Hackney council cut its funding.

The new open studio event will take place during the weekend of 27 and 28 June.

Anna Maloney, Director of Hackney WickED said: “We had a good meeting last night and the majority of studio buildings will be represented at the Open Studios event.

“The community has always been of a resourceful DIY nature, making things happen with nothing and helping each other.

“That’s been the beauty of the festival and the community in Hackney Wick. So this event will take us back to basics and is a chance to celebrate the people and creative talent in the area whilst we are still here”.

The organisers believe teamwork is the key for a successful festival.

Maloney added: “We are still struggling with funding so this will be a DIY event that is created by the people working and living in Hackney Wick collectively.”

East London resident Samuele Falzone, 32, Operations Supervisor of Saatchi Gallery, is excited to see some form of Hackney WickED back into the works: “The festival was cool and it was fun being there.

“The place had really nice people and amazing work and I hope they improve everything in terms of quality to make it like the original festival or even better”.