Abstract

The study of place atmospheres is relevant to un-derstand a series of elements in the relationship be-tween subjectivity and place (Gandy, 2017); especially the processes of change in urban space and the pos-sibilities for this change to be purposefully directed (Sumartojo & Pink, 2019). In this article, I analyse how the curation of food markets requires the use of di-fferent cultural and aesthetic knowledges that capi-talize on the vast gentrification process in London???s (UK) key areas in order to create a place atmosphere, and with it, to generate belonging and exclusion. This work explores specifically how commercial space organizers, as cultural intermediaries or ???curators??? use their specific taste to create pop-up street food markets. Curation implies a delicate design process and arrangement of different material, affective and sensorial elements. This includes the selection of food vendor with particular cuisines, and the dis-tribution and flows in the market space to attract a certain audience. In this article, I draw findings from an ethnography conducted in 2014 and 2015, using the case of Vibes Feast, a company that organises night markets in London in areas such as Dalston, Lewisham and Battersea. I use the case of the Lewi-sham market in southeast London to illustrate the curatorial work or market organisers. I analyse their working practices and decision-making process to understand how the curation of this kind of markets is a relevant practice in the generation of place at-mospheres for consumption and the integration of a middle class public, excluding the rest.