Vinca Petersen in Peckham24

HULALA, London, UK

Approaching her 50th birthday, Vinca Petersen decided to start again. To build a life centred on a deep and reciprocal relationship with the land, community and art. To imagine a new blueprint for living. Informed by Joseph Beuys's social sculpture theory, Petersen began to explore the concept of home, divested of ownership and individualism, and instead a site of transformation and collectivity. What is the potential of home? How might it need to evolve to survive the challenges of the times? How can it serve as a site of escape, rest and shelter for many, rather than a few? Building a home became a communal creation; everyone who participated in it helped shape it and has access to it. Friends, family, villagers, students, and strangers gathered to learn from local tradespeople and the School of Natural Building as land became a site of education, creativity, and skills-sharing. Over time, the house built by many hands became a refuge for all.

In HULALA—a title drawn from the Scottish Gaelic gesture; for all the days I see you and all the days I don't—Petersen traces this journey of change and upheaval, exploring the space between old traditions and new rituals, independence and collectivity, strength and vulnerability. 

Emerging from the failure of late capitalism, HULALA reflects on the reparative gestures of collectivity. Petersen’s intention is not to rebel against society so much as to live outside the status quo, cultivating a life of subversive joy.

HULALA is curated by Gem Fletcher.

Vinca Petersen, HULALA, installation view, Peckham24, London, UK, 2026. © Vinca Petersen. Courtesy the artist and Peckham24. Photo by Deniz Guzel.