POPART 7 sees in 2010
Illustration by Alex York
December 18th saw the first night of POPART 7, with a fine selection of work on display by the usual cross section of Populous staff, plus some images produced by students from the London Metropolitan University.
Alex York left our Putney office to work in Brisbane in 2006 and has produced a short animated film of the city which he describes simply as ‘a walk through Brisbane, depicting buildings which I have passed by or been into, and which interest me’. The sketchy style and the progression from simple unconnected lines to a complex aerial view can also be seen as a metaphor for the growth of a city. As Alex says ‘That’s the beauty of art…it is open to interpretation. Most of all it was fun!’
Oonagh Crotty tapped into her passion for photography and the built form, recording areas around Willesden Junction Station for the pieces seen here. Transforming them into almost sculptural forms; using slowly pulsing sequenced light (produced by software known as the Arduino coding interface) behind ghostly translucent images, set within immaculately made laser cut mdf frames – evoking memories of lost industrial London.
Photo by Simon Bushell
The images by Simon Bushell stem from a year or so sitting in endless traffic jams en route to and from Wembley Stadium. Recording what are almost ‘found images’ – depending entirely on what is visible from the car window when stationary, subject to chance. From a collection of around 200 images shown on a loop, patterns start to emerge; numbers, colours, people, shops, almost abstract forms. There is a wonderful serendipity at work; Simon himself is ‘pleased and surprised at some of the images – the quirky trompe l’oeil, the levels and blurring, the odd forms that creep in at the edges. It makes sitting in traffic jams almost worthwhile….’
Photo by Simon Bushell
Earlier this year Tom Jones completed tutoring a project at London Metropolitan University, which saw 2nd year Interior Architecture students proposing a new design for the Populous reception spaces in the London office. Designs by Banu Zhulumova, Michael Bielak and Vincent Jenkin were selected as most successfully capturing the character and personality of Populous, and you can see their concepts displayed here.
Design by Banu Zhulumova
Design by Michael Bielak
Design by Vincent Jenkin
Text by Simon Bushell
