Charity Projects
Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of working on quite a few charity art projects and each has provided a great opportunity to exercise some fun creative thinking. Naturally, the purpose of these charity campaigns has been to raise awareness as well as to achieve significant funds via the auction sales. To maximise the best chance of success in both these areas, my approach has been to come up with humorous and surprising concepts for maximum appeal.
In most cases, I’ve been granted special permission to either significantly modify the generic fibreglass form, or provide my own completely different sculpture. The resulting works have often been used to promote the campaigns and the subsequent exposure has frequently resulted in the works becoming top selling pieces at auction. To date, my contributions have proudly raised over £250,000 for these charities and it’s been great fun and a privilege to do so.
Taxi Elephant
Elephant Parade, London
2009
Taking its visual cues from the iconic London black cab, the glossy black Taxi Elephant has a solar-powered orange taxi light and chrome-detailed headlamps for eyes. Limited edition miniature versions were also sold through Selfridges and online. Sponsored by Sotheby’s, Taxi Elephant was exhibited at the Royal Exchange, Trafalgar Square and The Royal Chelsea Hospital Garden, before being auctioned by Sotheby’s in aid of the Elephant Family charity.
Painted fibreglass with solar-powered taxi light
Fabrication in collaboration with Sponge Creative.
Egg Letter Box
The Faberge Big Egg Hunt
London 2012
Designed for London’s Faberge Big Egg Hunt 2012, Egg Letter Box plays on the iconic British red post box, purposefully designed to function as a real letterbox.
Positioned on London’s Carnaby Street an egg-straordinary story was to unfold. Just four days into the exhibition the egg was poached. News of the stolen egg, made headlines around the world as a media campaign erupted calling for its safe return. Miraculously, the egg was returned days later, found by Police outside London’s Liberty store one early morning.
After a bit of TLC, Egg Letter Box was returned to the exhibition behind a protective case.
Alongside selected eggs by leading artists and designers, Egg Letter Box was auctioned by Sotheby’s, where it reached one of the highest prices of the evening selling for £42,000. The event and all 200 eggs sold helped raise over £1 Million for Action for Children and Elephant Family.
Painted fibreglass
Fabrication in collaboration with Sponge Creative.
Box Lounger
The BT Artbox Exhibition
London, 2012
Box Lounger was designed for the BT Artbox exhibition, which saw over 80 British phone boxes transformed by artists and designers for public exhibition across London. Box Lounger was auctioned at the National Portrait Gallery by Sotheby’s to raise funds for Childline.
Box Lounger brings the iconic phone box indoors, transformed into a functional piece of furniture. Designed with button-back red leather upholstery and light-up telephone signs, Box Lounger packs a patriotic punch in its fusion of British heritage design.
A specially commissioned purple Box Lounger was created and appeared in various London locations throughout the Olympics courtesy of British Telecom.
In 2014, Box Lounger featured on the Big Brother TV show, UK.
Button-back leather with light-up signs.
Fabrication in collaboration with 3Deye.
Long Distance
The BT Artbox Exhibition
London, 2012
Long Distance was designed for the BT Artbox exhibition, which saw over 80 British phone box replicas transformed by artists and designers for public exhibition across London. Special permission was granted to use a real phone box to create Long Distance, in which a giraffe is seen bursting through the roof. The piece was displayed in Soho before being auctioned by Sotheby’s at the National Portrait Gallery to raise funds for Childline.
Inspired by the telephone as a worldwide connector, Long Distance playfully celebrates the incredible reach this technology provides. Extending far beyond the well-crafted confines of the iconic British phone box, today’s technology continues to push the boundaries through visual media and video calling, where distant worlds are seemingly transported into our own.
Restored phone box and fibreglass.
Fabrication in collaboration with Sponge Creative.
Mirror
2015
This installation was conceived for Gap Inc. as part of its P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) initiative, celebrating the company’s commitment to advancing one million women, many of which being the employees and garment makers, through the program by 2020.
The concept focused on honouring the garment workers themselves, the individuals who make the products, by recognising not only their work but their personal achievements through the P.A.C.E. program.
At the heart of the installation was a large-scale portrait designed to symbolise empowerment. It was constructed by the live placement of hundreds of printed mirror discs onto a wall. When a viewer looked into the mirrors, they would see the image of the person who made the clothing, reflected back, creating a personal connection between the maker and the wearer.
The live installation took place in Times Square, New York, and was assembled by Gap employees over the course of a single afternoon, turning the act of creation into a collaborative tribute.
All-Ways New York
The Faberge Big Egg Hunt, New York,
2014
Created for The Faberge Big Egg Hunt in New York, All-Ways New York pays homage to the many varied streets and locations that underpin the diversity of the city. Constructed from 52 New York street signs, displayed atop a regular sign post, the piece was designed to amuse and confuse both tourists and New Yorkers alike, but more importantly, to help raise vital funds for the two charities: Elephant Family and Studio for School.
The Big Egg Hunt ran from the 1st to 25 April 2014 and included over 200 eggs by leading artists such as Jeff Koons, Tracey Emin and Julian Schnabel. All-Ways New York was selected to promote the event and was featured on T-shirts and other Big Egg Hunt products sold via Saks Fifth Avenue and online. The proceeds from these sales went to the two charities involved.
In 2016, All-Ways New York featured in Britney Spears Slumber Party music video.
Street signs on steel sign pole.
Fabrication in collaboration with Sponge Creative.
Ascension: Twisted Ladder
The Cancer Research DNA exhibition
2015
Tasked with decorating a swirling fibreglass form, special permission was granted to create a unique sculpture that played on the twisted ladder formation of the DNA helix. Here a classic old wooden ladder is seemingly bent into the synonymous spiral shape. The piece was exhibited at the Renaissance St Pancreas Hotel before being auctioned by Christies in aid of the Crick Institute.
Steam bent wood.
Fabrication in collaboration with Sponge Creative.
Elephant Chic
London’s Elephant Parade
2009
Fulfilling its en vogue status, Elephant Chic, makes a bold fashion statement in its all-over houndstooth elephant print. The idea was to create something that celebrated the beauty of the species. The repeat silhouette was designed to reflect ‘the herd’ – whose conservation is the ultimate objective behind this charity initiative. In aiming to emphasise the elephant’s distinctive form, the print expands and contracts as if stretching to the contours of the elephant. Sponsored by London’s Evening Standard, Elephant Chic was exhibited in the fashionable St Christopher’s Place in London’s West End before being auctioned by Sotheby’s in aid of the Elephant Family charity.
Vinyl-wrapped digital print.
Toggle
The London Paddington Trail
London, 2014
As part of 80 Paddington sculptures, special permission was granted to create Toggle, a unique piece designed to pay homage to the curious wooden fasteners on Paddington’s iconic duffle coat. Taking the form of a simple wooden toy, Toggle aims to reflect the innocence and playfulness of childhood. The piece was exhibited outside the museum of childhood before being auctioned by Christies in aid of the NSPCC.
Painted fibre glass.
Fabrication in collaboration with 3DEye.
Stone Laptop
Mission Enfrance
Monaco, 2015
The charity, Mission Enfrance, invited 80 artists to take up the challenge of using slate to create their artwork for auction. Stone Laptop takes inspiration from the primitive role of stone as a tablet and tool for communication. The piece combines a variety of stone masonry techniques, from the rough and natural chipped edging to the highly polished ‘screen’ and the state-of-the-art diamond-engraved keyboard.
Slate.
35x35x26cm.
