SWLA – working with the Pensions Corporation and FBA
The FBA has been working for some months with the SWLA on a major commission for the Pension Corporation. The corporation has a logo featuring stylised penguins, and their promotional material refers to some of the perceived natural qualities and characteristics of penguins. So, when the corporation recently refurbished their offices in the City of London they decided to furnish the entrance lobby, major open spaces, meeting rooms and boardroom with original newly commissioned artwork – all of it to feature penguins.
The FBA gathered a small team of artists – some SWLA members as well as artists from a range of different backgrounds and institutions – to work on the commission and develop a range of works with each artist assigned one species and a specific space to fill.
As part of the commission all the artists gathered at London Zoo in February and spent the morning drawing at the penguin enclosure, and in the afternoon returned to the Mall Galleries for a workshop, followed by an evening champagne reception that about 120 members of Pension Corporation staff attended. During the event, Chris Rose and Bruce Pearson gave a presentation that was a joint running commentary against a backdrop of penguin images telling their natural history and contemporary conservation issues, as well as anecdotes and tales of personal encounters – the presentation punctuated by some live drawing on giant sheets of paper.
The project concludes in August with a launch reception at the Pension Corporation offices.