Summer of Art unveiled at Earls Court, featuring an array of exciting installations and activities.

• This summer, Earls Court will be home to an incredible art programme in collaboration with the likes of Sol Golden and Lucy Oates, curated by The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC).
• Visitors will be able to experience a range of artistic installations, workshops and activities taking place across the site.
• The programme includes the installation of spectacular artworks, including a bright, colourful floor mural by local artist Lucy Oates, and a portrait exhibition by Sol Golden at The Gallery on Lillie Road. Large monochrome portraits, taken as part of BAFTA-award winning artist Alison Jackson’s A Day in Your Life photography competition, will be installed at Warwick Road, opposite the Earl’s Court tube station this summer.
• As well as soaking up the local art scene, visitors can experience a range of other exciting summer activities – from immersive theatre by The Lost Estate to the ground breaking BBC Earth Experience, Seven Worlds, One Planet narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Work up an appetite and enjoy a bite to eat from renowned London kebab house Le Bab, who are serving their food at The Prince on Lillie Road alongside other eateries including Crust Bros and The Prince’s own pub kitchen.

A Summer of Art programme has been unveiled today at Earls Court, featuring an array of activities and things to do in the area alongside public art installations and exhibitions. The programme kickstarts with the unveiling of an installation at Warwick Road by Chelsea Arts Club Trust recipient Lucy Oates and a portrait exhibition by Malawian-born London artist Sol Golden. Celebrating the talent of the local area, the Summer of Art programme marks the importance of inclusive, accessible art as well as the re-emergence of Earls Court as a top cultural destination for visitors in London as part of the long-term plan for the transformation of the, largely derelict, former Earls Court exhibition centre site.

Warwick Road has been transformed with a large, multi-coloured floor mural by Lucy Oates, as part of Kensington and Chelsea Art Week (KCAW). Lucy’s artwork has been inspired by a wish to transform ordinary spaces into a bright, playful area. Putting the public in public art, the floor mural was delivered by members of the local community, who helped paint the artwork. The installation will remain in place at Warwick Road throughout the summer.

From 3 July, artist Sol Golden-Sato, will be exhibiting his portrait paintings at The Gallery on Lillie Road. Sol is The Earls Court Development Company’s second artist in residence in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. Sol specialises in large-scale paintings, community murals and sculptures and will be showcasing artworks celebrating six female leaders of the local community. The exhibition will run for four weeks until 30 July and can be visited for free.

For those wanting to explore their creative potential, comic illustrator Adam Hennessey, the third artist-inresidence, will be running free weekly classes for the community every Tuesday from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at the ECDC Community Hub on Aisgill Avenue.

Artwork from BAFTA-award winning artist Alison Jackson will be on display on Warwick Road, later this summer. The 3.1m tall artwork features monochrome portraits, taken by young people from the Earls Court Youth Club. Previously displayed in the A Day in Your Life exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, as part of Alison’s annual programme to celebrate creative talent from under-represented backgrounds in West London, this installation represents another chance to see works created by young, budding artists in the community. As part of this programme, young people are offered workshops in photography, styling, make-up, production and set design and last year’s winners - some of whom were from the Earls Court Youth Club – received prizes to help them take their talent forward.

In addition to the spectacular local art, until 24 September, renowned theatre company The Lost Estate, based in a former Mannequin Factory on the redevelopment site will run The Greatest Night of the Jazz Age, an immersive, visionary story of hot jazz, wild dancing, Park Avenue fantasy and Prohibition New York. The group will be launching their second Christmas performance from November 2023.

The acclaimed BBC Earth Experience continues to run at The Daikin Centre, Empress Space, immersing visitors in its ground-breaking 360-degree audio visual journey, iconic landscapes, mesmerising animals and bespoke narration from Sir David Attenborough. There’s also plenty of space for family fun at Empress Space. Decorated with artwork by Baker and Borowski, the space is home to London street food traders as well as play areas for children (and adults) featuring life-sized chess, table tennis and other games.

Art enthusiasts can also enjoy a self-guided walking tour - 20 Things Around Earl’s Court – curated by architect Sam Jacob as part of London Design Festival to celebrate the area’s unique heritage and links to
musical legends David Bowie and Pink Floyd. Maps to guide the tour are available online here. Visitors can stop by The Prince and enjoy homemade pub favourites, as well as the very best of London Street food – including the iconic traditional Le Bab kebabs as well as authentic, sustainable cooking from Crust Bros.

Commenting on the launch of the Summer of Art programme Rebekah Paczek, Director of Public Affairs, Social Impact and Community Relations at The Earls Court Development Company said:

“Since acquiring the site in 2019, we’ve made significant strides to delivering early on site activations and installations – from our involvement with Kensington and Chelsea Art Week for the past three years, to collaborating with Open City and London Design Festival.

Earl’s Court has long been recognised as a stage for world-class innovation, culture and entertainment since the 19th century Bringing culturally rich experiences to the site is fundamental to our vision to ‘bring the wonder back to Earls Court’ and this summer of art programme is that latest testament to that.”

Artist Lucy Oates added:

“It is a delight to be amongst the talented group of artists working with Kensington and Chelsea Art Week, and an even bigger feat to work alongside the local Earls Court community to bring this mural to life.

There is already such a strong connection to the creative scene here from the past, but it does feel as though there is a more positive change to bringing this back. I am proud to be a part of ECDC’s efforts to bring accessible, enjoyable public art back to this incredible location.”

Artist and photographer Alison Jackson said:

“I am extremely proud that the work of Earl’s Court’s young people is set to be displayed for all to enjoy at Warwick Road. The artwork is a prime example of the brilliance that emerges when we nurture local talent, and I am delighted that Earls Court has chosen to shine a light our talented young community.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

For all media enquiries, please contact London Communications Agency:
Joseph Booth
jb@londoncommunications.co.uk
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Hannah Sebastian
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About The Earls Court Development Company

The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) is an Earls Court-based business, responsible for driving the development of the Earls Court masterplan forward on behalf of Earls Court Partnership Limited. Earls Court Partnership Limited is the joint venture between Delancey (on behalf of its client funds and the Dutch pension fund manager, APG) and Transport for London (TfL).

In February 2023, after over two years of discussion and engagement with local communities, ECDC presented the emerging designs for the masterplan of the derelict 40-acre site. The masterplan will evolve over the course of 2023, with a planning application due to be submitted by the end of the year. The draft masterplan proposes:

• A new park at the heart of the site, larger in size than Trafalgar Square
• Other public spaces including a new entrance square opposite Earl’s Court station that will retain and celebrate the steps to the Exhibition Centres, set to become a new but familiar West London public space and a key connection point through to Earl’s Court Road
• A variety of new performance and community venues and cultural programmes that attract and nurture talent.
• 15,000 new jobs in a new economic centre for West London, and 2,000 construction jobs during the build period
• 4,500 new homes to cater for all needs, targeting 35% affordable across all tenures.
• A plan that delivers for London and the UK, projecting £1.2billion per year GVA to the economy and £100million of annual spend into the local economy.

The site is 40 acres, with the total scheme set to deliver around 680,000 sq m (7.35m st feet) of development. The plans propose building on just 40% of the site, leaving as much space as possible for public open space. ECDC’s proposals are for a truly mixed-use scheme of around 60% residential and 40% commercial, culture, community, and retail space.

The economic projections of the proposals for Earls Court show significant public benefits for London and the wider UK. The scheme will contribute £1.2bn per year Gross Value Added (GVA) to the economy with £37.2m per year spending by workers to the local economy.

What’s happening at Earls Court?

Earls Court is London’s biggest redevelopment opportunity, and there is an opportunity to create something extraordinary on this 40-acre site. ECDC has already made progress in the early delivery of community and cultural programmes on site and across the local area. This activity includes:

• The BBC Earth Experience opened on 30 March this year with their attraction Seven Worlds, One Planet. State-of-the-art projection technology takes visitors on a 360-degree journey, guided by the narration of Sir David Attenborough. Tickets for the attraction are now on sale
• In November 2022, ECDC opened the award-winning production of ‘The Great Christmas Feast’ by The Lost Estate at the former Mannequin Factory. The current production – ‘The Jazz Show’ – opened on 9 March 2023
• A vibrant pop-up high street on Lillie Road also offers food, drink, and shopping. One unit, called The Pop Up, is a free-to-use retail space, providing a pressure-free environment for new traders
• Launched a portrait focus Artist in Residence programme in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery offering artists £3,000 a month for a three-month residency
• Underbelly Festival has had two successful summers at Earls Court, transforming the site into a free public beach and open-air cinema alongside street food traders, pop-up bars and games for all ages, with over 160,000 people visiting the festival site over two years
• In June 2022, we opened a new Community Hub in West Kensington, a flexible space run by and for residents – hosting a range of mostly free activities and classes every week for local people
• In summer 2022, we launched Empress Studios – a creative workspace initiative that transformed six Victorian townhouses into 46 affordable studios for local creatives and innovators
• Brought the space in front of Earl’s Court Station (Warwick Road entrance) back to life with art installations, first hosting the Pleasure Garden in summer 2021 and more recently the Stars of Earl’s Court takeover by Azarra Amoy
• A partnership with London Design Festival (the first time LDF has ever come to Earl’s Court) in 2022