Over 60 artworks ranging from sketches and etches to collages and aluminium prints, were received from creative members of the public for our Private View exhibition. As our founding partners Ian Simpson and Rachel Haugh noted in their message to the artists on the opening night:
“What an amazing response! It is very humbling to realise that there are people who are creatively inspired by the buildings we’ve designed and built. As art enthusiasts ourselves, we feel honoured that so many of you have selected our buildings to feature in your artwork, and thank you for your contribution to the exhibition. Walking around the exhibition, we were particularly taken aback by the variety of styles, techniques and media used, and the amount of effort, craft and skill applied to the challenge. We hope those viewing the exhibition are as equally impressed as we are. Thank you so much to you all for creating such a special celebration of our work.”
The exhibition also included a competitive element. Our team of judges – SimpsonHaugh’s David MacDonald and Matthew Ayres, and Caro Communication’s Diane Hutchinson – spent an afternoon debating the merits of each piece in order to pick which they thought provided the most surprising, fresh, unconventional and unique view of our building/s. The judges' chosen winner is Katie Anderson’s “RAF Chinook”, a thoughtfully composed photo of One Blackfriars, which they found visually arresting, especially the opposition of the Chinook and the Shard, and the lighting and reflections.
Due to the high calibre of artwork submitted, the judges also gave high commendations to:
- "Shaping Manchester" by Steffan Morris-Fernandez, a playful and exuberant take on the way in which SimpsonHaugh’s iconic Beetham Hilton Tower provides a constant backdrop to the myriad daily activities in the city;
- "Urban Hive" by Daniel Slattery, a Gursky-esque image of the repetitive, gridded façade of the Beetham Hilton Tower, which on closer inspection reveals hundreds of tiny vignettes of personal domesticity
- "Million Dollar Reflections #1, #2 and #3" by Letty Clark, a trio images depicting striking renditions of colour, refraction and reflexivity of water and sky on the facades of Dollar Bay, achieved with a mobile phone camera
- "One Blackfriars Construction" by Melanie Bellis, a spectacularly detailed etching of One Blackfriars in construction. The judges wanted to acknowledge the skill and craft that went into the piece.
For those that missed the exhibition which was on show 22nd – 29th June, you can view all the artwork displayed in the images below.