When the Rev. Betsy Blatchley, Pioneer Minister for the Arts in Nine Elms, asked if I would be interested in taking part in the Nine Elms Arts Ministry’s Artist Studio Christmas residency at art’otel London Battersea Power Station, I jumped at the opportunity.* Italian artist Adalberto Lonardi has created a gorgeous mural in the hotel’s art’beat studio, painted with the help of local creatives, residents and hotel guests.
More than a dozen artists have spent time in the art’beat studio, creating new work in response to Lonardi’s mural. My turn was on Tuesday morning, sharing the space with a young artist, Jewel, who was moulding figures in clay, with Betsy popping in occasionally and providing hot drinks and snacks.
I’d decided to create a found text poem and present it against an abstract collaged background. I brought a stack of Christmas themed magazines from my stock of collage material, and began by flicking through them and cutting out words that chimed with the mural’s themes.
Gradually, words found each other and became phrases, and phrases found their order. Once the poem had come together and the title had revealed itself, I Blu Tacked all the cutout words and phrases roughly in place on a piece of A4. Next task: create the collaged background on a piece of stiff card.
More rummaging through magazines to find the colours and textures I wanted, mainly cool frosty tones, with a darker nod to evening bottom right. Cutting, tearing, sticking down with gluestick. I was intensely absorbed, and so it seemed was Jewel.
Once the background was done, I Blu Tacked the found text poem in place, before wielding the gluestick and committing each cut out word or phrase to its place.
Et voilà! My piece, Life Is Exceptional, is now framed and forms part of the exhibition that opens tomorrow, Saturday 16th December, and runs until the 5th of January 2024. The studio will be open 9am to 9pm every day, with materials available to create your own response, and other activities. Check out Nine Elms Arts Ministry website for more details, and follow that star!
*What is it about long titles? I seem to be attracted to projects and organisations with long titles.
Hilaire 
A great project and we love what you crested and how you created it Hilaire – live Alison and Ian
Thank you both so much!