An innovative partnership between businesses and the renowned arts colleges, Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges of Arts, University of the Arts London (UAL), has enabled this year’s Graduate Showcase to ‘take over’ a number of retail units and other key locations in central London.
More than 100 students from the BA Costume for Theatre and Screen, BA Production Arts for Screen and BA Theatre Design courses have their final degree pieces exhibited in 30 sites across the City of London (in the EC Partnerships tower cluster area and Cheapside) and also in the Northbank (mainly in sites along the Strand).
Work on display includes full costumes for productions such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Wicked and Woman in Black, realistic and intricate special effects models, set design maquettes and props and boards detailing the creative process, all highlighting the talents of the students. We caught up with Meg Hursthouse, a student with work on display as part of the project, and Marc Myers, a Senior Centre Director at Landsec, to get their reflections on these unique installations.
Marc Myers, Senior Centre Director, Central and Suburban London, Landsec
What role does culture play in a business and retail environment?
In many ways, having a strong cultural offer is what makes a place special, gives a space its character and establishes it as attractive place to live, work and play. Here at Landsec we create and curate places that provide a sense of wonder and belonging. Places that bring people together promoting economic activity and quality of life for all who live, work or play there. This is how we bring our purpose to life across all our spaces, and why culture is so important to the success of a place
It is therefore something we seek to embed across our entire portfolio – be it retail destinations or office spaces.
How can culture evolve the perception of the City?
The City is renowned as a leading destination for innovation and business, but it is less well known for its thriving cultural and creative industries. Showcasing the City’s creative offer will be key to establishing it as a city of the future and cementing it as a destination for retail, culture and business as we seek to attract new visitors to the area.
Central London, and the City in particular, has been hit hard by the pandemic and it’s clear that economic recovery depends on people returning to the capital in a meaningful way. In the City this will partly be secured by the return of workers to their offices, but it will also depend on our ability to attract tourists and visitors back to the area, which can’t be done without a strong cultural offer.
What does culture and commerce mean to you?
To me, it means connecting the creativity and innovation found in both the commercial and cultural sector in order to drive economic growth.
Would you like to see more projects like this?
Absolutely! We’re always looking for new ways to bring culture to life across our spaces.
For example, we recently partnered with the Lewisham School of Muralism and local residents to develop artwork at one of our spaces in South London. The resulting piece celebrates the local area and adds to its already rich culture.
As a Landlord, what benefits did you see in taking part in the project?
As the retail landscape evolves, we’re always on the hunt for ways to create unique experiences and enhance our guest experience. Using artwork to revitalize spaces, whilst also showcasing local talent, is a fantastic way to offer our guests something different and to bring our spaces to life.
At Landsec, we’re also invested in the places where we operate and want to help them succeed – economically, socially and culturally. Part of our purpose as a business is to connect communities and we recognise that projects like this feed directly into this purpose.
What role does culture play in a business and retail environment?
In many ways, having a strong cultural offer is what makes a place special, gives a space its character and establishes it as attractive place to live, work and play. Here at Landsec we create and curate places that provide a sense of wonder and belonging. Places that bring people together promoting economic activity and quality of life for all who live, work or play there. This is how we bring our purpose to life across all our spaces, and why culture is so important to the success of a place
It is therefore something we seek to embed across our entire portfolio – be it retail destinations or office spaces.
How can culture evolve the perception of the City?
The City is renowned as a leading destination for innovation and business, but it is less well known for its thriving cultural and creative industries. Showcasing the City’s creative offer will be key to establishing it as a city of the future and cementing it as a destination for retail, culture and business as we seek to attract new visitors to the area.
Central London, and the City in particular, has been hit hard by the pandemic and it’s clear that economic recovery depends on people returning to the capital in a meaningful way. In the City this will partly be secured by the return of workers to their offices, but it will also depend on our ability to attract tourists and visitors back to the area, which can’t be done without a strong cultural offer.
What does culture and commerce mean to you?
To me, it means connecting the creativity and innovation found in both the commercial and cultural sector in order to drive economic growth.
Would you like to see more projects like this?
Absolutely! We’re always looking for new ways to bring culture to life across our spaces.
For example, we recently partnered with the Lewisham School of Muralism and local residents to develop artwork at one of our spaces in South London. The resulting piece celebrates the local area and adds to its already rich culture.
As a Landlord, what benefits did you see in taking part in the project?
As the retail landscape evolves, we’re always on the hunt for ways to create unique experiences and enhance our guest experience. Using artwork to revitalize spaces, whilst also showcasing local talent, is a fantastic way to offer our guests something different and to bring our spaces to life.
At Landsec, we’re also invested in the places where we operate and want to help them succeed – economically, socially and culturally. Part of our purpose as a business is to connect communities and we recognise that projects like this feed directly into this purpose.
Meg Hursthouse, Student at the University of Arts London
What was the inspiration for your piece? Why did you choose this medium?
Animation has always held a source of inspiration for me since I as a child, and so I’ve always subconsciously been chasing a career within animation. Having been introduced to stop motion in my first year and being in London, the hub for the stop motion industry, so when I realised that stop motion animation for TV and film could be a career option everything else fell into place from there.
How does it feel to see your piece in a London window?
It still feels very surreal, having my work on display in a way that is unrestrictive to tickets or venue size has proved invaluable to building my connections. Not only have I had passers by reaching out to me to celebrate my work with me, I have industry professionals accepting invitations to come view my work to. And this partly due to the accessibility of the venue.
Can art/culture and business occupy the same spaces in a city? How can they help one another to flourish?
Definitely! Architecture is evidence of this already, for the mundane work life to offer joy art is necessary, and who says that art has to be restricted to only a select few. Having art by a wide range of people can make a boring walk to work worth the time.
Do you think that projects like this one make the city feel more appealing to young people?
With everything growing at such a rapid pace on social media, having a reason to venture out and see something tangible is exciting. This is especially important for the business areas of London where it is considered boring by young people, being able to stumble across and be inspired by someone else’s creation in an area you’d least expect it is surely wonderful.
Would you like to see more installations like these in the City?
Absolutely! I’ve loved being able to share my work with everyone, so if anyone else is given the option then they should too!
What’s next for you, post-university?
Work hopefully! I’ve been lucky enough to step out of university straight into work within TV! And I’m hopeful the connections I’ve made with fellow industry professionals will continue to provide more work.