Architect Mike Davies of Millennium Dome and Pompidou fame – among many other things* - is a man whose long list of accolades put him at the forefront of groundbreaking design. We are thrilled to announce that at our event, last night, he selected the winning drawing from our Recording Britain Now exhibition to adorn his studio.
If you haven’t yet seen the exhibition, we encourage you to visit before it closes on Sunday 30th November, and also to contact us to find out more about opportunities to enter our 2015 John Ruskin Prize.
The Recording Britain Now exhibition includes drawings, paintings, prints and textiles by 23 artists shortlisted for the 2014 John Ruskin Prize. The works on display reveal a rich mix of techniques and topical commentary, exploring our endangered towns and countryside.Established and emerging artists present fresh, contemporary visions of their urban, rural or social environment – from haunting pastoral vistas to evocative depictions of 21st century suburbia.
The winning piece, Slowly Creeping, created by artist Maggie Hargreaves, is a study of the last remains of a Victorian cyanide works, which produced dyes for the Manchester textile industry. Her two epic charcoal drawings, both nominated for the Prize, show how we interact with, and affect, our environment, and how nature eventually takes its revenge.
"I am delighted to be in the ‘Recording Britain Now’ show, where the breadth of drawing practice today is clearly evident. I was hugely encouraged, by winning this prestigious award, to continue exploring our relationship with the world through drawing", said Maggie Hargreaves, winner of the 2014 John Ruskin Prize.
Recording Britain Now is inspired by John Ruskin, artist, writer, critic and scholar, who believed that drawing helps us to see and understand our environment more clearly. Founded by The Campaign for Drawing, in collaboration with the Guild of St George, the annual John Ruskin Prize invites submissions from artists working in drawing, painting, watercolour, print and mixed-media.
We will soon announce the 2015 John Ruskin Prize, and encourage you to email amdin@campaignfordrawing.org if you would like to be kept informed.
The final event in the Recording Britain Now programme, The Building Site Project will take place on Sunday 30th November and is the last chance to see the exhibition, where Maggie’s second piece, and several others are available for purchase.
*Mike Davies CBE, RIBA, FRSA, FRGS, FICPD was a founding partner of the Richard Rogers Partnership and is a senior partner of the firm’s current incarnation, Roger Stirk Habour + Partners. He started his career at Airstructures Design in London while studying at the Architectural Association. Following his master’s degree at UCLA he co-founded Chrysalis Architects in the USA, a firm specialising in lightweight structures. He joined the partnership between Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano in 1971, shortly after they won the commission to design the Pompidou Centre in Paris. In 2010 he was appointed a Chevalier of the Order of the Légion d’honneur. Main projects include Pompidou Centre, Paris; IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), Paris; INMOS, the UK government microchip factory, Newport; First strategic development masterplan for the Royal Docks 1983-4, London; Masterplan for the City of Dunkirk; Masterplan for the Greenwich Penisula; Lloyd’s Building, London; Millenium Dome, London; Grand Paris Strategic Masterplan for the President of France; Heathrow West Masterplan and Terminal 5 Complex, London Heathrow.