National Saturday Club Summer Show
For nine years we have collaborated with the National Saturday Club Trust to design and deliver their annual Summer Show. With the work of over 1,500 13–16-year-old National Saturday Club members to hang, this is a huge logistical challenge for everyone involved, but year after year we find it an incredibly rewarding experience.
Our involvement with the Saturday Club Trust started in 2014 and we’ve been working together ever since. During this time the National Saturday Club has grown to encompass 70 Saturday clubs across the UK, each one providing high quality, free education in the arts, sciences, fashion and writing for 16 & 17 year olds. We design, curate and manage the installation of the summer show in the prestigious South Galleries of Somerset House.
The design of the exhibition leads the visitor through the story of the Saturday Club and into each of the four different sectors; Art & Design, Fashion & Business, Science & Engineering, and Writing & Talking. 2018 has been the most challenging to date, with a huge number of works to hang within limited space and to a fixed budget. Our aim is to showcase each club member’s work in the best possible light, and give each young person, their families and the general public the opportunity to perceive their work in a professional context. Ceramics, prints, drawings, audio, films, fashion, poems, rockets and petri dishes are each treated equally with the same care and attention to detail.
“Today we are gently taking down the best Saturday Club show we have ever had. The responses from visitors have been extraordinary, from young Club members, their parents, and VIP visitors alike. There are so many lovely details, and everything was presented so beautifully with such care & attention to detail.”
Frances Sorrell
The Saturday Club Trust
In 2018 we were delighted to lead the British Land Public Realm Masterclass for Plymouth College of Art. Plymouth is currently undergoing a period of significant change and redevelopment in preparation for the upcoming 400yr anniversary of the Mayflower, which will be celebrated with numerous events and the completion of new developments. Our brief to the students was to design a series of new wayfinders to lead people from Drake’s Circus shopping centre towards the historic steps from which the Mayflower set sail.
“Our aim was to give the students an opportunity to contribute in the design of their changing environment.”
Juliet Quintero
Dallas-Pierce-Quintero
For the first workshop, the students tasked to survey four different sites along the trail, to understand how they are currently used, any deficiencies and opportunities and propose ideas for how the wayfinders could connect to the current street furniture. The second workshop involved making the concept designs in 1:1 scale cardboard models, to test the ideas in situ and make design adaptations. A common theme across all four wayfinders was a patchwork sail constructed of recycled clothing, referencing both the maritime industry and the retail fashion industry. The final proposals were made in collaboration with the college Fab Lab, giving the students an invaluable introduction into digital fabrication.
Following their display at the Saturday Club Summer Show, the proposals were displayed in situ back in Plymouth for the Plymouth Art Weekender during September 2018.
Over the years, we’ve been lucky to have assembled a very experienced installation team. In particular, our long running relationship with designer and fabricators Pelikinesis has proved invaluable and their commitment to the project has ensured a dedicated and professional install.