Contemporary artist begins live art project on steps of historic Edinburgh building
One of Scotland’s leading contemporary artists, David Martin, will create a large scale painting on the steps of one of Edinburgh’s iconic heritage buildings.
To coincide with this year’s festival season, David will paint a 7 x 3.5m mural on to hoardings at the entrance to 42 St Andrew Square. Situated at the gateway to The Registers, a regeneration project planned for the south east corner of Edinburgh’s St Andrew Square, the painting will evolve live and in situ, whatever the weather and in full view of residents, commuters and visitors.
Once complete, it will be installed in the dramatic double height glass lobby of the new office building planned as part of the regeneration of the area that aims to revitalise and pedestrianise part of West Register Street. Here, it will be permanently on public display.
Commissioned by the Chris Stewart Group (CSG), it is intended that this will be the first in an ongoing series of art installations in The Registers.
David, who was given his first major solo exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy in 2007, is the founder and creative director of the Hidden Door arts festival, which turns abandoned or hidden places in Edinburgh into temporary arts venues. The Registers commission is the first live art project of its kind and for this David intends to paint a single standing figure, surrounded by the grand space of the building, referencing the stairwell and main hall of the beautiful, historic interiors, as they dissolve and transform into a different, more evocative and timeless space.
The project gets underway on Thursday 23 July 2015 and will last approximately three weeks. The painting will remain in place until the autumn to coincide with David’s next exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery in early November.
Commenting on the project, David said:
“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to create such a large scale painting at so prominent a site in the city centre. It will be a really interesting few weeks to see how the work progresses and to gauge the public’s reaction – to the painting itself, but also to the fact that I’m going to be there from morning till evening creating the piece in situ.
“I’m not approaching it like a graffiti artist, or mural artist, but just as I would my normal paintings on canvas, and so it will go through stages of evolution – and may look quite strange for a while as I build the layers up with colour and collage material, such as old maps which create the surface interest of the painting.
“I don’t think Edinburgh has ever really seen this approach to live painting in public before – not on this scale, anyway.
“I have a real sense of how the painting is going to look, taking inspiration from the amazing atrium and banking hall inside the building – but even I don’t know exactly how it’s going to turn out. It will have to take on a life of its own through the process of painting for it to be any good! It is exciting to think of it having a home inside this fantastic new building once CSG has completed its planned regeneration of The Registers.”
Chris Stewart, CEO of the Chris Stewart Group, comments on the commission of the art installation:
“We always look to add another dimension to our projects and The Registers is no different; once completed, it will be a bright, vibrant and lively area in the centre of Edinburgh. In the meantime and while we progress through the planning process, we hope to add some colour and intrigue to the area.
“By inviting David to create a contemporary piece of art on the steps of 42 St Andrew Square, we intend for the area around West Register Street and Register Place to be recognised for its art installations as well as becoming a thriving commercial and leisure destination. It is hoped that with the planned regeneration, we will be able to showcase different artists’ works throughout the public realm for all to view and enjoy.”
Chris added:
“I am looking forward to David getting started on site – we’ve been discussing this project for a number of months now and I’m intrigued see the finished piece. It will be fascinating to watch it evolve day by day over the next few weeks.”
Updates on the project can be found on Facebook and Twitter
www.facebook.com/pages/David-Martin/201689596536974?fref=ts
#liveartattheregisters
@ChrisStewartGrp
@IndigoScotland
@hiddendoorarts
Notes to Editors
The Registers Plans submitted to Edinburgh City Council for The Registers propose a redevelopment of a complex of buildings in a neglected warren of lanes to create a vibrant and complementary mix of new offices, hotel, residential / serviced apartments, retail units and restaurants, which are expected to bring nearly 750 jobs to the city centre and an economic boost of £71.4m (GVA) per year, alongside a ‘heritage gain’ for the area.
As part of the plans, two key historic buildings currently on the ‘at risk’ register will be restored, giving new life to one of the most important art deco banking halls as a restaurant at the neo-classical 42 St Andrew Square and reinstating a former warehouse at 28 West Register Street into active commercial use while preserving its remarkable Venetian Gothic façade.
Buildings along part of West Register Street, including an empty 1960s office block and a derelict 1850s Victorian tenement will make way for much needed high quality Grade A office accommodation, designed to attract new businesses to the city and essential to the rejuvenation of the area which forms an important gateway to the new St James development.
The Edinburgh-based property investment and development company, the Chris Stewart Group (CSG), which delivered the transformation around Advocate’s Close in the Old Town, owns the Registers site and is behind its regeneration.
David Martin David Martin is from Tayport, Fife and now lives and works in Edinburgh. He initially studied physics and astronomy at Glasgow University, but during his studies had a radical change of mind and enrolled on the MA Fine Art degree at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 2000 with First Class Honours. After graduating, he mainly painted portraits, and by 2005 had exhibited widely, including in the BP Portrait Award. His major breakthrough came when he was awarded the Alastair Salvesen Travel Scholarship in 2006, culminating in a critically acclaimed solo exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy in 2007 based on his 5-month journey through the Middle East. Subsequently, Martin has embarked on several travel-based projects to locations such as holy sites in Ethiopia and garment factories in Bangladesh. He has built up a reputation as a teacher of painting, and is now Head of the Foundation Course at Leith School of Art, and is on the council of Visual Arts Scotland.
In 2014 David set up the Hidden Door Festival, a not for profit arts festival that takes place in abandoned or hidden places in Edinburgh. The ‘underground’ arts festival has now run successfully for two years and David oversees the whole project, with a special emphasis on the content and programme.
For further information please call Elizabeth Lambley, Indigo, 0131 554 1230
22 July 2015
Elizabeth Lambley, Indigo, 0131 554 1230
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