Selfridges to fund Bond Street art work

Selfridges is funding an artwork by Darren Almond inside the new Elizabeth line station at Bond Street.

The luxury department store will sponsor the large scale work as part of the the Crossrail Art Programme, of which Selfridges is the only retailer to provide funds.

The new station will be gateway to London's retail mecca in the West End

Together with the City of London Corporation, Selfridges will fund the bespoke work that will be installed in the station’s western ticket hall on Davies Street. The station is designed to create a gateway to the West End, just metres away from Selfridges' flagship store on Oxford Street, and the luxury boutiques in Mayfair.

Almond will create a conceptual piece inspired by the UK’s transport heritage. It will be integrated into the spaces above and around the escalators to challenge passengers to think about their journey and the passage of time as they move below, or above, ground.

Darren Almond said: “As a child I was liberated by the rail network which enabled me to travel the length and breadth of the country; the adventures and the memories of which still inspire and forge new paths for me today. It’s amazing how acute observations made at such a young age still inform and feed into my work today. I hope that my commission will address the space and passage of time and will activate, and hopefully stimulate, the inherent narratives implied by descent and ascent, by arrival and departure.”

Almond is the latest artist to be unveiled by the Crossrail Art Foundation, a charity founded to create a unique display of large-scale art at many of the new Elizabeth line stations. The charity worked in partnership with Selfridges, White Cube gallery and an advisory roundtable of art world representatives to select an artist for the station.

Anne Pitcher, Selfridges’ Managing Director, said: “We are thrilled to support this extraordinary commission for Bond Street station with Darren Almond. The artwork will be enjoyed by everyone and create a lasting legacy in our city for years to come. At Selfridges we have always championed the compelling, memorable and unconventional, all qualities that are echoed in Darren’s vision.”

The Elizabeth line will carry over 200 million passengers per year, adding 10 percent to central London’s rail network. The New West End Company forecasted revenues for the 600 retailers it represents will hit 10 billion pounds by the end of 2018.

Images courtesy of Crossrail