Nottingham Contemporary site, May 2008. Photo: David Sillitoe
PRESS RELEASE
19th February 08
No.1
NOTTINGHAM CONTEMPORARY
PRESS LAUNCH: Thursday 21st February 08, 10.15 – 11.15 am
GIANT LACE PATTERN COVERS £14M NOTTINGHAM CONTEMPORARY- design buried in 1847 time capsule chosen to showcase art today
On the morning of Thursday 21st February there will be an opportunity to watch giant lace embossed panels – up to 11 metres high – being craned into place to cover Nottingham Contemporary.
The panels will cover the £14 million building – one of the largest contemporary art spaces in the UK - designed by the acclaimed architects Caruso St John. The new international art centre is currently under construction at Weekday Cross, on the edge of the Lace Market.
The lace-embossed panels are a link between the old and new Nottingham. The pattern was taken from a Victorian time capsule buried in the city in 1847. It contained two pairs of stockings, two pairs of gloves, a knitted purse, lace collars and a book of lace samples, including the one chosen to cover Nottingham Contemporary. All the items were representative of the city’s trades at the time. The time capsule was buried under the foundation stone of the Nottingham Corporation Water Works offices, where Marks and Spencers stands now.
Nottingham Contemporary is being built at a time of unprecedented public interest in contemporary art. Over five million people visited Tate Modern last year, for instance, making it the second most visited attraction after Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Nottingham Contemporary will have a total floor area of 3,000 sq metres, including four large galleries, two education rooms, a study centre, a café-bar and a shop. It will have an extensive education programme for all ages. The project has been funded by Nottingham City Council, the Arts Council, the Greater Nottingham Partnership, emda and private individuals.
“We will be an international art centre with a strong local sense of purpose,” said Alex Farquharson, director of Nottingham Contemporary. “Lace made Nottingham famous throughout the world when this pattern was buried 161 years ago. It is very fitting that this beautiful design with such a strong link to the city will now have a new life in the international world of contemporary art.”
Gary Smerdon-White, Chair of Nottingham Contemporary, commented: “Our lace covered panels are a reminder of a trade that brought Nottingham both fame and fortune. They also represent the way that the city has changed – our heritage now contributes to our prosperity. The regeneration of the Lace Market has been a triumph. It is a thriving cultural quarter that other cities envy. The stunning architecture of Nottingham Contemporary pays tribute to its surroundings, and it will bring in visitors from all over the world, giving Nottingham a new reputation.”
Nottingham Contemporary’s architects Caruso St John were inspired by the warehouses of the Lace Market when they drew up the design. “We wanted to create a space that artists could use in a flexible and creative way, like the warehouses of Berlin and New York, “ explains Stephanie Webs, lead architect for Nottingham Contemporary at Caruso St John. “When we chose the lace pattern, we did not know that it had been buried in a time capsule by an unknown Victorian. It was preserved for posterity, and it is very exciting that it is being reused in this way.”
The sample chosen for Nottingham Contemporary is labelled Specimens of Machine Finished Laces made by Rd (Richard) Birkin, Basford 1847. Richard Birkin started his lace firm in 1827. It grew to be one of the largest and most innovative in the country, and only stopped making lace in 2004. Birkin himself was three times the Mayor of Nottingham.
The present Lord Mayor of Nottingham, Cllr Mohammed Munir, will be present at the event.
The lace panels were made by the Nottingham firm Trent Concrete, using a technically skilled moulding technique to recast the original lace design.
Nottingham Contemporary is being built by SOL Construction, a company with Nottingham roots.
NB: The press launch will start at 10.15 am upstairs at La Tasca restaurant, Weekday Cross with breakfast and a brief announcement from the Chair of Nottingham Contemporary, Gary Smerdon-White. A panel will be craned into place at around 11.00 am. Historian Chris Matthews – who has researched the discovery of the lace design – will also be there, as will Stephanie Webs from Caruso St John.
