East London venue Shapes is closing amid allegations of a rape at the venue in March of 2016.
The reported incident took place on March 19th at a private event run by volunteers that promotes a safe space for dancing, swinging and BDSM activities. According to the Evening Standard, the police report indicates that both the alleged victim and the attacker had taken MDMA, and the victim was only able to stop the attack by saying she needed to go to the toilet.
Shapes says they released the CCTV footage of the incident as soon as they received an "appropriate request" from officers. The venue says that so far, no Shapes staff or security have been contacted by the police to provide statements. They further point to their reputation as a low-crime venue, with six thefts and no violence reported across 2014 and 2015.
Shapes provided RA with the following statement:"It's with heavy hearts we announce that Shapes' Hackney Wick venue is to close its doors for the final time this weekend after the July 30th party. Our lease is coming to an end and as such we are being forced to close our doors. We have worked so hard to create great moments in a great space over the last three and half years—providing a socially enterprising platform for forward-thinking music and artistry in the local community. In spite of our continued efforts we have no further choice but to bid farewell to 117 Wallis Road. Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey so far. Come shake a leg with us here one last time this weekend. And stay tuned for further news. The best is yet to come."
Shapes, a former printing factory which opened in 2014, has hosted parties over the past couple of years from London promoters like Tesselate, Krankbrother and Secretsundaze. Their final event, Maze, will take place this Saturday as planned.