Art At King's Cross (Text Version)

ART AT KING'S CROSS

A NEW CULTURAL QUARTER

The redevelopment of the area around King’s Cross is injecting new life into a long neglected but fascinating part of London.

King’s Cross Central is committed to placing art at the centre of the regeneration project and contributing to the burgeoning cultural growth of the area. The recent opening of Kings Place and the arrival of the Guardian newspaper, in addition to the relocation of University of the Arts London to the development, are all proof of this cultural growth and future potential.

The redevelopment of the 67 acre site will bring new residents, workers, visitors and students to the area. New spaces will be created, generating opportunities for new art works.

As the development progresses we want King’s Cross Central to be viewed as a platform for art, through the use of temporary spaces, residencies, permanent installations and exhibitions, both on site and in the German Gymnasium.

Our vision is to create innovative, animated, welcoming public spaces that are connected and integrate well with the local environment. We also seek to incorporate the heritage of the site – this is not about simply sweeping out the old to bring in the new.

We cannot do this alone though and want to work with a range of cultural partners in order to provide truly memorable, high quality and innovative art installations.

SPOTLIGHT

EXPERTS ADVISE ON ART AT KXC

An arts advisory panel, comprising experts from a range of cultural and artistic backgrounds, has been appointed to advise the partners delivering King's Cross Central on their developing arts programme.

The long-term ambition is that the panel will advise on permanent pieces of high quality art for the regeneration site, however in the short-term, the panel will also get involved in a range of temporary arts projects such as exhibitions and most imminently, they are advising on content of an exhibition on the representation of King’s Cross in the arts.

The panel, which includes experts from the British Council, University of Arts London, Camden Arts Centre and the local council, aims to work with King's Cross Central to deliver works of art that people come to see from across London, the UK and the rest of the world.

Europe's largest regeneration site provides a perfect 'canvas' for truly innovative approaches to incorporating art in to the landscape and built environment.

THE COLLECTION

HAVE A LOOK AROUND

The area has a vibrant and creative community which continues to flourish. Harnessing, accurately depicting and celebrating the histories and rich culture of King’s Cross is an integral part of championing its future as the international cultural gateway to London and an exciting new urban district.

King’s Cross Central is proud to be part of this cultural movement. This isn’t about arts for arts sake, but about reflecting the changing nature of the local environment and challenging people to see the area around them in a different way.

Here is a collection of some of the cultural attractions in the area around King’s Cross. Click on a frame to learn more about the piece.

We are continuously updating this section, so be sure to revisit from time to time.

SCATTERED CROWD - WILLIAM FORSYTHE

William Forsythe's Scattered Crowd at King's Cross Central took place in May 2009 as part of the Sadler's Wells 'Focus on Forsythe' programme.
'Scattered Crowd' is composed of thousands of white balloons, delicately suspended to create a breathtaking installation in which the viewer's slightest stir causes a ripple of movement, thereby offering each visitor a unique and individual experience.

King’s Cross Central collaborated with Sadler’s Wells to bring this stunning installation to the UK for the first time, located in the historic Midland Goods Shed at the heart of the redevelopment site.
The currently disused Midland Goods Shed will be transformed as part of the King's Cross Central development. This is the first time the location presented a piece of performance art.
For more information visit sadlerswells.com/forsythe
D-FUSE - PATHWAYS : KING'S CROSS

A fascinating video and light installation by contemporary London artists D-Fuse, which draws on the changing nature of the King's Cross area.
Scenes from films shot at King's Cross, such as The Ladykillers and High Hopes, as well as historic photographs and sound archives have been combined with contemporary images and recordings of the area to create a sculptural video installation. Projected through a series of transparent screens, layers of time converge in an exploration of how we remember and imagine a place.

Pathways: King's Cross is part of the strategy at King’s Cross Central to support arts as the site develops through use of temporary spaces, residencies and exhibitions in the German Gymnasium. It has been commissioned with CreateKX as part of this agency's creative and cultural vision for the wider King's Cross area.
The installation was held at the German Gymnasium in March 2009. The video will be available to view at the King's Cross Marketing Suite later this summer.
LIZ ARNOLD - CAMDEN ARTS CENTRE

20 February - 19 April 2009
Liz Arnold (1964-2001) was one of the most original painters to emerge onto the London art scene in the 1990s.
Her carefully crafted canvases depict cartoon-like animals seemingly imbued with human emotions. They inhabit a world that is both fantastical and familiar.
Selected for the 1996 New Contemporaries at Camden Arts Centre, and for Becks Futures at the ICA in 2000, Arnold's paintings have proved irresistible to both the critics and the public alike.

'Mythic Heaven' (1995), a painting of a smoking ladybird, and 'Field Trip' (1999), a toxic landscape punctuated by green, drooping, phallic plants, are typical of her wit and unique vision. Arnold described her paintings as "little worlds", created to both escape from, and refer to, the real world.
The exhibition includes works which have never been exhibited before and is curated by four artists: Richard Kirwan, Brighid Lowe, Bridget Smith and Daniel Sturgis.
Liz Arnold died in 2001, aged just 36.
Supported by The Elephant Trust.
SATURDAY NIGHT TV - WILLIAM HUNT

Essential viewing at King’s Cross Central William Hunt’s Saturday Night TV – Saturday 30 May 2009
Reflecting King’s Cross Central’s commitment to supporting innovative cultural projects, the partners behind the 67 acre regeneration scheme are hosting an installation by William Hunt, the artist in residence at the Camden Arts Centre.
For the finale of his residency entitled, "I don't believe you, you're a liar", Hunt presents a major new installation and performance work in the historic German Gymnasium, the gateway to King's Cross Central.
Described as a Battle of the Bands/X-Factor hybrid, the work features live

music and tough talking judges. Acts perform linked up to a lie detector and are critiqued not only on their singing talent but on their genuineness. The final is judged by a ‘celebrity panel’ along with the audience who are asked to shout “play loud, play real loud” or “I don’t believe you, you’re a liar”
The installation is on 30 May between 7.30pm-8.30pm. Entry is free but you must book in advance at
saturday-night-tv.eventbrite.com.
For more information visit www.camdenartscentre.org/talksandevents
The German Gymnasium
26 Pancras Road
London NW1 2TB
SHAKESPEARE'S SONNETS - CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS

To celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the first printed edition of 'Shakespeare's Sonnets', students from the MA European Classical Acting - Drama Centre London at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design performed a number of The Bard's famous sonnets, including sonnet 94 and sonnet 52, on site at King's Cross Central.
The perfomances were part of an ongoing series of projects with the world renowned design college, ahead of its relocation to King's Cross Central in 2011. 6,500 staff and students will be moving to a new campus being built at the heart of Europe's largest city centre regeneration project, and between now and then a host of temporary arts projects are planned.

The University of Arts London and King's Cross Central will be working collaboratively to bring art and design to new audiences and place culture at the centre of the regeneration scheme.
The performance of the sonnets, by students Bethan Clark and Charlotte Powell, were led by Course Director Sebastian Harcombe, and they took place in various locations across the King's Cross Central site.
To view footage of the sonnets visit: www.csm.arts.ac.uk www.youtube.com
For more information on King's Cross Central visit our website: www.kingscrosscentral.com
BLEIGIESSEN - THOMAS HEATHERWICK

Thomas Heatherwick Studio was commissioned to create this major work for a spectacular 30-metre-high vertical void in the Wellcome Trust new international headquarters. The work towers seven storeys of the building and can be easily viewed by passers-by.
Consisting of 150 000 glass spheres, suspended on almost one million metres of fine stainless steel wire, the sculpture glows with a constantly shifting rainbow of colours.
The form of the sculpture derives from the twisted shape of a drop of molten metal, which cooled and solidified as it fell through tumbling water. The aim was to produce a curvaceous form that would look different from each of the building's nine floors.

Bleigiessen – 'lead-guessing' – is a New Year's Eve activity in central Europe. Lead is poured into water, producing extraordinary shapes from which your fortune can be predicted for the coming year.
Thomas Heatherwick's work ranges from creating discrete objects, such as the 'B of the Bang' in Manchester, to designing cityscapes and the interface between them. He collaborates with practitioners from a wide range of disciplines, and together they harness architecture, art and design, to offer a different creative approach to art and design in the built environment.
SHIFT - ELLIE REID

A stunning first solo exhibition by Ellie Reid, the ‘on site’ artist at King’s Cross Central, opens on the 6th of February and will be the culmination of a six month project funded by the Arts Council England.
Featuring sculptural works, drawings and film projections, and incorporating materials such as plastic sheeting, debris netting, wood and rubble bags, the exhibition seeks to reflect the changing nature of the construction site.
King’s Cross Central is committed to placing art at the centre of the regeneration project and contributing to the burgeoning cultural growth of the area.

The ‘Shift’ exhibition is part of a wider strategy at King’s Cross to support arts as the site develops through use of temporary spaces, residencies and exhibitions in the German Gymnasium.
6th - 22nd February
The German Gymnasium
26 Pancras Road
London NW1 2TB
Opening Hours:
1100 - 1700 Fri, Sat and Sun
1100 - 1930 Thurs
QUENTIN BLAKE - BUILDING WRAP

As you step out of St Pancras International, a 16m high building wrap greets onlookers with a busy scene of celebration. Dining and drinking, dancing and singing, these characters welcome new arrivals at the station.
The drawing is the work of world renowned illustrator, Quentin Blake. The piece was commissioned by Argent, London and Continental Railways and DHL-Exel Supply Chain, the developers of King’s Cross. It is the first of many public art initiatives intended for the scheme.
One of Britain’s best-loved illustrators, Quentin Blake has illustrated over 300 books, but never a building. He has worked with many writers, most famously of all, Roald Dahl. Quentin

writes and illustrates his own books too, creating such memorable characters as Mr Magnolia and Mrs Armitage. He was appointed the first Children’s Laureate in 1999 and made a CBE in 2005.
Quentin Blake is one of the driving forces behind the idea to bring the UK’s first Museum of Illustration to King’s Cross. This Museum will celebrate historical and contemporary illustration as well as Quentin’s own work.
The installation is mounted on the Grade II listed Stanley Building, one of sixteen Victorian structures on site. New development will embrace this heritage to create a new piece of city with a historic sense of place. The Stanley Building will be refurbished for new uses in due course.
BALLET LORENT - DESIGNER BODY

Designer Body celebrates the body transformed.It features seven dancers - four female and three male - each revolving on their own one metre diameter plinth dressed in full length garments that accentuate and distort the stature and elegance of their bodies.
Designer Body is made to be seen in many different spaces including site-specific venues as well as theatres and art galleries. It is created for a seated audience to experience the full 50-minute exhilarating journey of the body transformed from a gilded state of high aestheticism to a naked Rodin-esque rotating sculpture.

As part of their Spring UK tour, Ballet Lorent performed Designer Body at the German Gymnasium on the 17th and 18th of March.
Check out their website for more on this contemporary dance company and its productions.
THE MEETING PLACE - PAUL DAY

’The Meeting Place’ was commissioned by London & Continental Railways (LCR), the company behind High Speed 1 and the £800 million restoration of St Pancras International station. It depicts a couple in romantic embrace and is the work of acclaimed British sculptor, Paul Day. The seven metre high sculpture will stand on a specially commissioned two metre high plinth beneath the new Dent clock.
St Pancras International is going to be a place to meet whether you are getting on a train or not. ‘The Meeting Place’ depicts a couple in a ‘Brief Encounter’ moment. The sculpture is the first of a series of public artwork installations that form a programme of art for the High Speed 1 project throughout 2007.
JOHN BETJEMAN - MARTIN JENNINGS

In the 1960s, St Pancras station was threatened by redevelopment plans which would have resulted in the loss of both the Barlow train shed and the iconic Grade I listed St Pancras chambers that face Euston Road. Sir John Betjeman, heralded as the nation’s favourite poet at the time, led a successful campaign to preserve the building and have it Grade I listed.
To honour his contribution, Martin Jennings was commissioned by London and Continental Railways to create a statue of Sir John Betjeman for the newly refurbished concourse at St Pancras International.

Working closely with Sir John Betjeman's daughter Candida Lycett -Green, Jennings has created a bronze figure that stands 2.1m high on a circle of Cumbrian slate inscribed with words from Betjeman's poetry. Other quotations selected by the artist are carved in smaller slate discs and set into the floor around the sculpture.

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