Cost of living: Artist living in converted skip in Bermondsey

Harrison Marshall said the price of rooms in London had "gone kind of crazy".

An artist said he planned to live in a converted skip for a year to make a "statement" about the "crazy" cost of living crisis.

Harrison Marshall moved into the skip in Bermondsey, south-east London, in January.

The 28-year-old said the price of renting a room in London "had kind of gone crazy".

"For me to live in this area, this was the only option for me to do that, which is just mad," he said.

Mr Marshall said his neighbours were "incredibly friendly"

The Skip House is part of Skip Gallery, a public art initiative intended to create space and opportunity for emerging artists, which Mr Marshall has worked with on a number of projects.

The standard eight-yard skip has been fitted with an insulated timber frame and a barrel roof.

Mr Marshall, co-founder of Caukin Studio, has access to a portable toilet and said he would mostly shower at work or the gym.

The skip has been provided for a nominal rate of £50 a month and the initial build-cost was £4,000.

Mr Marshall has decorated his new home with friends' artwork and gifts from his family

Mr Marshall said he found it difficult to find a place to live in London after returning from work abroad in 2022.

"People were getting hundreds of messages for a single room... it was at the point where if you weren't willing to put your deposit down the same day as viewing it, you didn't really stand a chance," he said.

He spent some time sofa-surfing before getting the go-ahead for his skip home.

Mr Marshall soon hopes to be connected to a power source which will enable him to use a heater and a cooker.

He said the project was "not intended to be a solution to the rising cost of living" but was "more of a statement".

"No-one should have to live in a skip," he said.

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