‘Intersections’, a newly commissioned artwork for the Holborn Viaduct development by artist Harold Offeh, is the newest public artwork to be unveiled in the City of London. The installation is the City’s longest artwork, totalling just over 100 meters. It has been designed in collaboration with the local community, London Museum and the Museum of London Archaeology.
The work is inspired by the layers of history and artefacts uncovered by the Museum of London Archaeology team during the excavation of the site, as well as those documented in the London Museum collections.
Offeh created the main design through photography, scanning and digital collage. The community was invited to partake in a walking tour and risograph workshop at Hato Press, led by Studio Offeh, and the prints feature in the hoarding design.
“Harold has created an artwork that is grounded in the histories Holborn Viaduct, from the past to present, that capture a visual snapshot of people and place. Artist led workshops with local community members were vital to the process, offering moments of sharing and creativity. The resulting artwork is a vibrant collage of personal stories; weaving together images of objects and research materials to create an archive of the evolving local area. This is the first of Harold’s art commissions, as artist-in-residence for the Holborn Viaduct development, and we are very excited to be working with the design team to bring the next commissioning phase to fruition.”
– Sinéad McCarthy, Curatorial Director, Futurecity
The resulting artwork explores the historical and cultural connections that have shaped this site over thousands of years, with links to burials, trade, and queer history. It is a site that has been defined by its proximity to the City of London; being located on the margins has meant it provided a refuge for migrants and the marginalised.
“The process of developing Intersections as artwork has been about trying to respond directly to the history of the site as a meeting point of two historical features, the Fleet river and the Holborn Viaduct. This highly collaborative project has facilitated many conversations with regards to the history and profile of this area of London that has since the Roman invasion, has sat on the edge of the city and been a haven for those trying to access opportunities and freedoms. As the lead artist, I’ve been lucky to speak to the archeologists and curators from the Museum of London and creatively explore and respond to the site with an amazing group of community participants whose work is integrated as a layer within the work.
Intersections tries to bring these many layers of history into conversation with each other. People encountering the work can engage with the overlapping and intersecting points in time from Roman funeral artefacts found on site to queer clubbing histories from the 1990s. The work offers visitors the opportunity to think through the connections in history that speak to how we might sit with the complexity of historical narratives that shape our present and future.”
– Harold Offeh, artist
The artwork was commissioned and project managed by Futurecity’s Curatorial Director Sinéad McCarthy on behalf of Royal London Asset Management in collaboration with Avison Young, Hogan Lovells and Multiplex.
“The art installed on the hoardings is the first milestone in the project’s overall cultural strategy, with more to follow. I am delighted with the outcome. Construction projects can be impactful on their surroundings and the work commissioned with Harold Offeh sought to lessen this impact. The result is borne from community engagement and research on the area dating all the way back to Roman Britain.”
– Peter Harrison, Project Director, Avison Young
A guided walking tour between Golden Lane Estate, Smithfield, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, and Holborn Viaduct, documented the environment by taking rubbings, photographs, and engaging in discussions. 12 local people contributed to the artwork at Hato Press, through a series of workshops led by Studio Offeh.
In 2021, Futurecity was commissioned by Royal London Asset Management to develop a Cultural Plan for the Holborn Viaduct development, which is going to be the new headquarters for international law firm, Hogan Lovells. The scheme includes plans for 36,000 sqm offices designed by PLP Architecture and a renewal of the Grade II-listed cast-iron viaduct and the gatehouses which provide access to Farringdon Street below. Futurecity developed a complex strategy for the site, which included public art projects and a partnership with London Museum.
‘Intersections’ is the first project of the strategy that has come to life and is responding to the City of London’s Destination City vision. Holborn Viaduct is an important part of Futurecity’s portfolio in the City of London, which includes numerous mixed-use developments in the area such as The London Tunnels, 120 Fleet Street, 65 Crutched Friars, as well as a Cultural Strategy for the Fleet Street Quarter BID.
About the Artist – Harold Offeh
Harold Offeh is an artist working in a range of media including performance, video, photography, learning and social arts practice. Offeh is interested in the space created by the inhabiting or embodying of histories. He employs humour as a means to confront the viewer with historical narratives and contemporary culture. He has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally including Tate Britain and Tate Modern, South London Gallery, Turf Projects, London, Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, Wysing Art Centre, Studio Museum Harlem, New York, MAC VAL, France, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Denmark and Art Tower Mito,
He studied Critical Fine Art Practice at The University of Brighton, MA Fine Art Photography at the Royal College of Art and recently completed a PhD by practice exploring the activation of Black Album covers through durational performance. He lives in Cambridge and works in London, UK. He is currently a Reader in Performance and Social Arts Practice and is Interim Head of Programme on MA Contemporary Art Practice at the Royal College of Art.
www.haroldoffeh.com
Special Thanks
Futurecity would like to thank the curatorial team that made this project possible, including Sinéad McCarthy, Curatorial Director; and Vestalia Chilton, Director of Arts. Additional thanks to Fabienne Nicholas, George Kekatos, Chloe Stagaman and Sherry Dobbin for their support in devising the Cultural Plan and Implementation Plan for the site and supporting the wider City of London cultural development.
Photography by Katie Edwards