Agenda item

The Chairman had also agreed to accept an urgent item of business in respect of a further recommendation from the City Arts Initiative (CAI), which had been emailed to Members and laid around the table.  (see also agenda item 15)

Thames Tideway - Blackfriars enabling works temporary hoarding commission

The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a major new sewer, urgently needed to protect the tidal River Thames from pollution, and enable the UK to meet European environmental standards.

Reason for urgency:

Thames Tideway did not present provisional ideas and artwork for the hoardings, only examples of the artist Joy Gerard’s previous works and agreement to use Martin Parr’s Unseen City images.

Since then, a full proposal has been received, and the urgency is due to the hoardings being erected later next week.  Also, the school workshops have only just began to reveal their progress for ideas and artwork etc.

The artist Joy Gerrard is developing an artwork for a site hoarding along the Thames Path at Blackfriars (July – November 2016) made in collaboration with twenty-four year 9 students (13-14yr olds) following several weeks of varied workshops.  This commission will follow the installation of some of Martin Parr’s Unseen City images, kindly facilitated by the Guildhall Art Gallery, which will be installed on the hoarding from late May to July 2016.  This proposal is fully funded by Thames Tideway and enabling works contractor VolkerStevin.

The City Arts Initiative recommended this proposal for approval and endorsed the appointment of artist Joy Gerrard.