Westworks London: Ruairiadh O'Connell

The Details

*Consultancy was appointed by developers Stanhope and Mitsui Fudosan to devise and deliver a signature artwork for the reception spaces at WestWorks, part of their flagship redevelopment of Media Village in West London. Designed by Allies & Morrison, the building is pivotal to an evolving business district at White City Place, with nearly 300,000 square feet of dynamic office space.  

Artist Ruairiadh O'Connell produced a site-specific installation of ornate screens for the reception area, inspired by the Japanese-British Exhibition of 1910 that took place on the site White City Place currently occupies. Celebrating Japanese culture and art, the exhibition was a hit with Edwardian audiences, who were delighted by the architecture, art and landscaping on display.

O'Connell's first public art commission references this history and in particular, the ornately carved Jali screens which appeared throughout the exhibition. His interest in the screens comes from their dual nature: the carved abstract geometric forms are aesthetically exquisite while regulating airflow. The washes of colour on the screens are a contemporary, painterly response to early Japanese landscape printmaking.

O'Connell's artwork provides a striking focal point for the reception area, bringing the beauty and functionality that emerged from the Japanese-British Exhibition into our experience of the building in the present day.