With his second two man show, for 2013, which opened on May 16th at 10 Gresham Street EC2V 7JD, contemporary landscape artist David Anthony Hall questions why more art installations are not planned into the design of the UK’s new building developments.
David’s photographs are expanses of the natural world that provide not only a vision, but an intense feeling of being within a place. Viewing becomes a celebration of the awe inspiring natural forms David has taken the time to capture. Art mirrors life with an impact deliberately derived from sheer scale of his work. The beauty of the images absorb and enrapture, forming a vast photographic landscape which if viewed at a distance become an enticing vista completing the entire line of sight. Up close however, phenomenal detail is apparent, each leaf discovered and each shadowed revealed, the final triumph is the adventure deep within the detail.
His work exudes a sense of calm and hardly surprisingly has been used by architects and designers to add a sense of soul to their buildings. Most recently he was commissioned by the cancer charity, Marie Curie to provide images to welcome patients and their families to the charities latest, seven million pound, facility in Solihull. Marie Curie believe in using art for health benefits and found David’s work fitted perfectly with their ‘Four Seasons’ theme. The charity’s patron and special project leader, Lady Kate Cotton, was tasked with raising specific funds to be used for artwork in the hospice.
‘It is essential for art to be considered at the design stage of any build’ said Lady Cotton, ‘We have been most fortunate to be able to raise funds specifically for art purposes and as we believe strongly in the benefits of art for the patients wellbeing, it is imperative we plan it into our building costs so we don’t subsequently waste precious budget’. Because the art installations were planned it into the design phase, the charities project manager, Simon Whelan believes the charity saved as much as 10% on installation costs.
Whilst it makes sense in a budget conscious environment to plan all aspects of building projects, including art, it frustrates David to see how little this planning appears to happen.
‘Britain has made a significant contribution to the evolution of architecture over the years and we are responsible for some truly stunning buildings.’ said David ‘If these building projects were able to accrue a percentage of the overall cost or even budget a small percentage at the design phase more art could be installed from the beginning. Adding artwork retrospectively costs more and makes it far more difficult for the artist to present work to its best effect. However, I do feel we are missing a trick. Buildings have become far more sculptural in their design and sculpture is normally commissioned, planned and installed as an intrinsic part of a building. If we could consider doing the same with two-dimensional art, I believe production costs of large scale artwork like mine could be virtually halved. This means I could effectively double the scale of artwork or the number of pieces I produce.’
As the UK enters another difficult economic phase, budgets are being more closely monitored than ever before, whilst millions are still being spent on building projects each year, very few seem to consider the need to extend their budgets to include art installations as part of their building costs. In many countries around the world, including Norway, Canada, Italy and USA, law requires any new public building project to demonstrate a ‘percentage for art’ accrual, which then is used to fund art installations. The accrual percentage ranges from 1% to 2.5%, not only does this allows the designers to plan art installations in a way which guarantees arts inclusion, but it motivates artists in the knowledge art is well supported and means considered choices are made to fit the build.
No such law exists in the UK and art funding is stretched beyond capacity. This year almost half of the 1300 organisations who have applied to the Arts Council for funding will be unsuccessful. The Arts Council, who have been criticised by the government for its ‘waste of public money’, has received 29.6% cut in ‘grant-in-aid’ from central government. Surely this indicates a need more than ever for self-funding art projects. David believes the ‘percentage for art’ accrual which works so well in the rest of the world would certainly relieve the pressure on the oversubscribed funding that is available in the UK currently, but perhaps more importantly would make architects and designers actually consider more carefully their art installations from the start.
‘I have produced work up to 20 meters by 5 meters which creates an extremely impressive effect in any situation’, said David ‘however one of the biggest consideration is the production cost. With some exciting advances in technology my images can be printed onto a vast array of substrates which, if used as an intrinsic part of a building, could produce stunning results at little or no extra cost. We know that good architecture can make a difference and we know public art does make a difference, so the crucial question I ask is, can we bridge these two disciplines and create a benchmark for art and architecture going forward?’
Whilst most of David’s work is mounted on acrylic, which gives it a very contemporary look and produces an intense image, designed to appear three-dimensional. New methods of printing mean his work could be produced on a variety of substrates including aluminium, glass tiles or even textured wood. These new substrates and applications may finally be the very thing that allows more traditional art production to finally cross that barrier that seems to have kept art from being part of building design projects. David Hall for one certainly hopes this is the case. However for the moment, David continues to produce beautiful images demanding even bigger space in which to be seen. His current exhibition is at 10 Gresham Street, London EC2V7JD. This development is considered to be one of the city of London’s premier office spaces, with 18-meter column free spans and full height glazing it will be a wonderful background for David’s larger pieces of work. His images will form part of a two-man show with sculptor, James Flavell, and will run until September 2013.
For more information on David Anthony Hall and his work visit www.photohall.com
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