Wallpaper Commission

Arts & Culture, University of Exeter

Inspired by the 19th century engravings of works by JMW Turner held in the University’s fine art collection, I was commissioned to create site-specific wallpaper for the Queen’s Building on the University’s Streatham Campus.

There were two elements of the engravings that I wanted to try and capture in my wallpaper. The subject matter - pastoral picturesque scenes. I was interested that Turner had chosen to feature water in each landscape, through rivers, calm and stormy seas, canals and estuaries. Secondly, the mark-making in the engravings. I loved the variety of detail, marks and lines that the engravers had used. I wanted the wallpaper to draw attention to these and to retain an element of the engravings themselves.

images: detail from Exeter, engraving by T Jeavons after JM Turner 1775–1851/ testing screenprint exposure times/ wallpaper colourway experiments/ details of the wallpaper and the final installation.

2023