Erica Wakerly - Urology Ward at Guys

Erica Wakerly in collaboration with Greenhill Jenner Architects designed a modern mural that is a 40 metre digitally printed formica wall for the Urology Ward at Guys.  Erica Wakerly is an exciting textile designer that mostly designs in geometrics and black and white.  However, for this collaboration for the Urology ward at Guys the design is pale greens and blues to create a soothing and tranquil hospital environment.

This mural was commended in the 2008 Health Business Awards.

Putting on the Glitz, Whitworth Art Gallery

Putting on the Glitz at Whitworth Art Gallery, curated by Christine Woods is the current wallpaper exhibition on display until October 2009.  I went along to Christine Wood's talk about this exhibition and the wallpapers on display.  This exhibition charts early seventeenth and eighteenth century "gilt" leather panels to present day wallpapers such as "Dominoes" by Tracy Kendall which was specially commissioned for this show.

The history of the early leather panels was to demonstrate the wealth of the residents and their luxurious standard of living.  Only in Europe's wealthiest homes could afford them and the embossed and decorated calf leather panels were intricately made using a silver foil and then varnished so that they would look like gold.  In the seventeenth century you could also have flocked canvas too which although very fragile was cheaper than cut velvet textiles.

You take these things for granted now but you couldn't buy paper backed foils until the late 1960s when they were developed in the US.  You also forget that feature walls that we regard as a recent thing have been around for along time too.