Taking over a housing estate – mural invasion
After one year of operating Studio 75 we have begun something new. In late January, we received permission from the London and Quadrant Housing Association to take over the whole Kingsland Estate, where the studio is sited, and use the buildings (there are over 12 buildings) as a space for a mural exhibition. The estate is part of a big regeneration project and right now it is only semi occupied, and therefore semi derelict, with many flats bricked up. The mural project is meant to bring some cheer and humour to the site, by creating a mythical kingdom, The King’s Land – populated by strange and funny creatures running rampant on the walls.
The project has now started and is supposed to conclude during the Olympic games this summer.
The KING’S LAND blog is at:
http://kingslandmural.wordpress.com/
The murals are created by Studio 75’s Nazir Tanbouli. Nazir has a long history of mural painting, indoor and outdoor, in Egypt and Europe. See http://www.nazirtanbouli.com/mural/index.htm for some examples. But this time he’s taking a new, experimental approach, working with graphic drawing
“I’m working with ink on paper collaged on the wall, this way I can start now, and will avoid working outdoors in the cold winter. I’m doing it all so far on my own expense. Ink on paper on wall is a technique that as a mural painter I always wanted to do yet it was always dismissed by clients and commissioning bodies so I decided to put my theory to the test and see how it survives a few months of English weather; if it can survive that it can survive anything. “
Naz has completed 3 murals, seen in the photos, and the 3rd was a collaboration with German artist Valentin Manz.
We will be hosting a number of events and drop in cafes during this mural project, alongside our regular program of monthly exhibitions. Next up we have got our dear friend Adrian Shephard, Berlin based video artist, coming to the studio – more on that soon.
