The Earls Court Development Company unveils new artwork on Warwick Road

The Earls Court Development Company is supporting the Kensington + Chelsea Art Week’s Public Art Trail for the second year in a row, with a new installation at the Warwick Road Apron, opposite the entrance to Earl’s Court Underground Station.

• The installation, by artist Azarra Amoy, celebrates local artistic stars, past and present, within the Earl’s Court area as part of Kensington + Chelsea Art Week.

• The Worshipful Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea opened the installation with a special event on Thursday 30 June.

• This latest artwork forms part of ECDC’s ongoing cultural and site activation strategy to bring the site back into use for the benefit of everyone.

The Earls Court Development Company is supporting the Kensington + Chelsea Art Week’s Public Art Trail for the second year in a row, with a new installation at the Warwick Road Apron, opposite the entrance to Earl’s Court Underground Station. The Worshipful the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea opened the installation at a special breakfast event on Thursday 30 June.

This year will see Azarra Amoy present ‘Stars of Earl’s Court’ at Warwick Road, a huge 39-metre mural celebrating artists, past and present, who lived and worked in the area. Including suggestions from local people through a public call, the mural features local legends, including visual artists such as Duggie Fields, important groups once frequenting the famous Troubadour music venue such as the Black Panthers and Bob Dylan, but also perhaps less obvious personalities who are equally important. Visitors will be able to become a star themselves with the selfie section of the mural – perfect for Instagram!

Last year ECDC supported the installation of ‘The Pleasure Garden’ at the Warwick Road Apron, which saw a mural inspired by local wildflowers, alongside a sculptural structure and a floor design, echoing the Pleasure Gardens popular in the area during 18th century.

Speaking about the return of the Kensington + Chelsea Art Trail, Sarah Gaventa, Creative Director of ECDC, said:

“The vision of The Earls Court Development Company is to bring the wonder back to Earls Court, and bringing world-class art here is a step towards that vision. This installation forms a key part of our cultural engagement with festivals, workspace, and bigger projects to be unveiled later this year.”

Bringing the Kensington + Chelsea Art Trail back to Earls Court is part of ECDC’s commitment to bring life back to the site, following last month’s launch of the Underbelly Festival and announcement of a new Community Hub on Aisgill Avenue. The opening of the ‘Stars of Earl’s Court’ is just one of the things happening at Earls Court, with more events taking place throughout the year.

Throughout July, ECDC are opening their new pop-up consultation space called ‘Conversation Corner’ on 26 Lillie Road. Open Thursday-Saturday every week in July, it will allow people to pop in for a chat and view updated information about plans for the site and crucially give their feedback. ECDC will also be going out into the community to speak to people throughout the month, this will include a weekly Wednesday afternoon pop-up in Earl’s Court Station, as well as West Kensington and West Brompton Stations, two family fun days and two pop-ups in local markets.

Further details and exact dates for all the events are available on ECDC’s website.

For further images click the following link: https://we.tl/t-EzVwwaXEus


ENDS


Notes to Editor
For all media enquiries please contact London Communications Agency:


Jesse Peacock
jwp@londoncommunications.co.uk
07931 123 143

Avnesh Modhvadia
avm@londoncommunications.co.uk
07393413479

 

About The Earls Court Development Company

The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) is an Earl’s Court based business, responsible for driving the regeneration of the former Earls Court Exhibition Centre site, covering around 40 acres, on behalf of the Earls Court Partnership – a joint venture between Delancey (on behalf of its client funds including the Dutch pension fund manager, APG) and Transport for London (TfL) that was formed in December 2019. The first decision we took after acquiring the site was to hand back the West Kensington and Gibbs Green housing estates - originally part of the previous owners’ masterplan - to Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

About Kensington + Chelsea Art Week

Earlier this month, Kensington + Chelsea Art Week unveiled their fifth annual Public Art Trail, which will see world-class sculpture, installations and exhibits across the borough free for all to enjoy. The Art Trail is located across 9 zones, featuring some of the borough’s most iconic and beautiful locations including Earl’s Court, Napoleon Garden in Holland Park, Sloane Square, Duke of York Square, King’s Road Curve, Notting Hill Gate, North Kensington and Chelsea Physic Garden.

Away from Earls Court, the Art Trail will include a powerful installation celebrating neurodiverse people spanning the length of Exhibition Road and an interactive and protective sculpture, the Cellular Amulet, found on Bramley Road.

Full details of the participating artists, their work and where to find it will be available via the KCAW Digital Art Map.

Regeneration of the Earls Court site

We have had thousands of conversations with residents, neighbours and local business about the future of the Earls Court site. In late 2021, we launched our latest phase of consultation, showcasing the priorities that will guide the regeneration of the site. This involved a series of in-person public events, webinars and masterplanning workshops with representatives of the local community, to ascertain their priorities for the emerging masterplan.

Over the coming months, more detailed plans will be shared with the public, showcased
at in-person and virtual events, alongside drop-ins at train stations and markets.

Further information about the consultation, and the latest materials, can be found here: https://theearlscourtdevelopmentcompany.com/the-site/the-vision-for-earls-court

Early delivery at Earls Court

ECDC’s site activation programme is central to the early delivery of our commitments both now and for the longer-term masterplan. We have succeeded in opening parts of the Earls Court site to the public for the first time in over a century.

Since acquiring the site in 2019, we have developed close ties with our neighbours, local businesses and the wider community. Investing in the future of the area forms a core principle of our vision for Earls Court. To date, we have done the following:

Homes at Empress Place: Refurbished and bought back into use properties along Empress Place, which were left derelict. During the height of the first national lockdown, these were provided as homes for key workers.

Earls Court Community Fund: Last year, we established a £180,000 a year community fund. In October, grants were awarded to nineteen local organisations, including Dads House, Finsborough Theatre, Barons Court Project, Family Friends, and the Earl’s Court Community Trust, to support their work with local communities, young people and those at risk or vulnerable. Applications have now closed for this year’s round of funding.

Community Hub: Earlier this year, we transformed the former show home of the previous owners into a Community Hub in Aisgill Avenue, in the Gibbs Green Estate. Due to be open later this year, it will provide a range of exercise classes and activities for residents and be capable of supporting meeting spaces for local businesses.

Warwick Road Apron: Last summer, the ‘Pleasure Garden’ installation, designed by local artists Baker & Borowski, was showcased at Warwick Road Apron, as part of K+C Art Week. We are pleased to be holding another installation at the space this summer, supporting the festival for the second consecutive year.

London Wonderground: In collaboration with Underbelly, we launched London Wonderground last summer. In total, we welcomed over 114,000 people to the event, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak. We also created 120 temporary jobs and took 11 young people from the local area through the Underbelly Training Academy. Underbelly has returned to Earls Court this year. Launching in May and running until July, the festival showcases world-class performances and live shows, as well as providing the local community the opportunity to showcase on the bandstand and in the studio – a new, 75-seater event space.

Empress Studios: Working in partnership with Projekt, we have converted six derelict Victorian townhouses into 8,500 sq. ft of workspace for creatives and innovators within Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea. Opening earlier this month, upwards of 30 new workspaces have been created, providing affordable studio and office space for the local arts and science industries.

Lillie Road: We have turned our part of Lille Road into an active high street, providing opportunities for small businesses at The Pop-Up and providing space for small businesses and charities.

Mannequin Factory: We are working on bringing immersive theatre alongside creative and cultural spaces to the former Mannequin Factory an empty building to the northwest of the site. We’ll be announcing more details shortly.

 

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