‘A Sea of Art’ – The 10 Best Original Art Peices from the New Ogilvy Headquarters
More than 80 pieces of unique artwork by Acrylicize were commissioned for the new headquarters of Ogilvy at Sea Containers on London’s South Bank, exploring identity and branding through art.
Acrylicize the prized art collective and consultancy has recently created over 80 art installations for the new Ogilvy Group UK Headquarters. The 20,000 sq. m office, located within Sea Containers, occupies the well-known area that is Southbank, on river Thames between the Tate Modern and Oxo Tower. BDG architecture + design and Matheson Whiteley collaborated on the design of this innovative project.
Acrylicize are notorious for creating unique and engaging experiences from one-off art installations to entire art programs, interior graphics and large scale architectural features. Acrylicize believe that art shouldn’t be confined to the gallery and it should be available for everyone to enjoy and appreciate.
The working environment was designed to create a dramatic and flexible space, to encourage interaction between companies and their different divisions. Acrylicize were tasked with creating dynamic and engaging art work bespoke to the building, that reflected the company’s philosophies and values in visually striking forms.
10 BEST PIECES FROM THE PROJECT
1.
Tricks and Turns is a collection of 70 original skateboards sourced specifically for the project. They are mounted on the wall without wheels to show that each mark tells story weather it be trial and error or success and failure.
2.
The Design By Nature type appears to be a living wall from a distance, however a closer inspection reveals it to be a complex system of Lego bricks. Each brick represents a different element and dimension to the organisations enormous output, with design at its core.
3.
Sand Quotes is a series of six typography study installations within Sea Containers. The Shakespeare quotes derive from the close proximity of the Globe Theatre and the presentation in sand is to celebrate the sections of Thames bank beaches directly in front of the building.
4.
Stethoscope has a glowing heart at its core depicting the passion that is exerted into each project. The old children’s toy created from modern lighting nods to the fact that the medical world celebrates a healthy mix of both historical research as well as modern technological advancements.
5.
Soundskate is an interactive, sound responsive installation that feeds back the audio levels of the building through adapted skateboard trucks. Each wheel has been rigged with a custom LED system that forms part of a large graphic equalizer giving a visual insight into the energy of the MEC space. Viewers are also invited to interact with the microphones mounted within the piece giving a real time response to audio input.
6.
Weather Painting celebrates our changing weather patterns through the slow distortion and manipulation of one of the most iconic Southbank scenes, and the artwork is driven by a constant feed meteorological data. Weather remains a constant and typically British topic of conversation; from bright and hazy summer afternoons to cold and drizzly winter mornings, it is nothing if not diverse.
7.
Pulse represents the energy and dynamism of MEC, sitting at the heart of level 7 gently inhaling and exhaling throughout the day. The rich materiality of the individual copper tubes hint towards the beauty and craft of MEC’s work whilst the vibrant coloured pulsing light points towards the future and its ever changing digital landscape.
8.
Infinity Mirrors are a collection of custom made infinity mirrors in glowing green lights bearing 3 of MEC’s manifesto phrases: Explore the Unknown, Thrive and No Limits. MEC’s constant drive to explore the unknown is reflected in the name of this artwork, and in the nature of the typographic forms that literally disappear into an unchartered darkness. The statement ‘No Limits’ extends across endless planes, unrestricted by any boundaries, whilst ‘Thrive’ echoes the constant ambition of all MECers to thrive in every aspect of their lives; this infinity mirror uses two angled glass elements to take the typographic form on a journey onwards and upwards.
9.
MEC Broken Logo is a towering depiction of the MEC logo hanging in their impressive double height space at Sea Containers. Powered by motors and pulleys, the installation breaks up into multiple sections depicting the many facets of MEC’s business and then periodically comes together to represent the unity and clarity of all the services working seamlessly together for the good of the client.
10.
Wayfinding is a celebration of craft and creativity. Each lift lobby is given its own unique personality through custom designed numbers meticulously hand painted directly on to the wall using traditional sign writing techniques. In addition the floor directories are cast in steel and given an individual accent colour, based on the dominant colour of the accompanying numbers.