Ten banners for the centre of Reading designed by

Inaugurated June 2003

Oracle Entrance, Broad Street, Reading

Context

To celebrate the recent pedestrianisation of new areas of Reading's city centre, artist Marc Camille Chaimowicz was invited to design a set of ten banners to be installed at the entrance to the Oracle Shopping Centre at the east end of Broad Street. Artists in the City felt that it would be appropriate to mark the artist's long-standing contribution to the town's cultural and academic life by commissioning new work for a key town centre site.

Project

The four-metre banners feature delicately drawn, softly painted images inspired by tiny particles of flora and fauna. The artist has worked closely with Reading-based printers VGL, who are leaders in the field of large-scale outdoor colour printing. Three different designs using two different colour-ways have been transferred on to the double-sided banners. The graphics have been digitally printed on blackout PVC. In the production of this project Artists in the City acknowledges support from Dawn Rodgers, Technical Assistant in the Fine Art Department at Reading University.

Artist

Marc Camille Chaimowicz is course leader for the MA in Fine Art at the University of Reading and divides his time between London, Reading and Dijon in France. He is represented by Cabinet Gallery, London where he has recently had a solo show. His work is included in many national collections and since the early seventies he has had shows in leading galleries around the world. During the last year Chaimowicz has completed commissions for market gates in Burgundy and a chapel ceiling in Cluny. A major work has recently been purchased by the Migros Museum in Zurich.