‘artist in residence’ at the bankside hotel
How many hotels in the world do you know that have their very own art studio? The beautiful boutique Bankside Hotel at the foot of Blackfriars Bridge is home to this wonderful space, designed to showcase a collection of artists at work.
When my gallery Contemporary Collective invited me to be a ‘Maker in Residence’ last summer I was almost packed and ready to move in before the conversation finished. It’s a huge space, so big that it took five of me to set everything up…
The ‘Maker in Residence’ programme offers artists two months to develop their art practice in this wonderful spaces. To begin with, thanks to the huge glass window running the whole length of the room, I felt a like a chimpanzee at the zoo when people wondered past and peered through the window! Perhaps I should have placed a ‘Feed The Animals’ notice on the window, although the hotel’s fantastic kitchen did that just fine, perhaps a little too fine. It didn’t take me long to feel right at home, as you can see from this video…
The interiors of the Bankside Hotel are exquisite full of original art and furnishing, thanks to the imagination and attention to detail of designers
Dana Lee and Ted Berner, founders of Powerstrip Studio. This was the first time I met the couple. Dana is wearing her bee keeping outfit, having just met a bee keeper to discuss the design of a mid-century modern inspired bee hives for the roof of the hotel.
I owe a big thanks to wonderful teams at Contemporary Collective and the Bankside Hotel for the opportunity to create in this space. I was like a pig in mud working in the heart of one of my favourite areas in London, home to so many of the landmarks that inspire my work. And I was chuffed when the hotel acquired St Paul’s (mellow yellow), and Dana incorporated it into the design of this table for the bar area.
I’m proud to present the project I worked on during my residency below. It is one of the most ambitious pieces I have ever designed, helped by the ingenious team at Zone Creations in South London. City of Light 2 is created from an original photograph taken from the 34th floor of 1 Blackfriars, one of the new skyscrapers in town, and the hotel’s next door neighbour. The Cheesegrater, Scalpel, Walkie Talkie and St Paul’s can all be seen in the sensational view.
The outline of the skyline and a stripped-down St Paul’s was laser-cut into a a copper box. In the top half (containing the modern buildings) the copper is left untouched, mimicking a sunset or sunrise. The lower half (with the historic St Paul’s) is treated to create the green patination of aged copper. L.E.D liights inside the box subtly illuminate the shape of the skyline. You can find out more about the piece here and at Contemporary Collective.
I was very sad to leave my hotel studio and the wonderful team there who made me feel so welcome, but my gallery told me I had to let the next artist in, and a bailiff eviction wouldn’t look good on my CV.
Getting the band back together at the reunion dinner at the Bankside Hotel. The residency artists (so far) presented designer Dana Lee with our collaborative piece of art.
From left to right:
Elinor Olisa (co-founder of Degree Art & Contemporary Collective), The Cummings Twins , me, Dana Lee, Luke Walker , Victoria Heald , Ernesto Romano , and Sophie Derrick .
