Holiday Inn Commission - Liverpool

I was asked to accessorise the newly refurbished conference suites at the Holiday Inn, Liverpool. Each room had been painted grey with grey curtains or blinds and wooden conference furniture. Every suite had a different name, Shanghai, New York, Dublin and Cologne illustrating Liverpool's relationship as a port within the international scene.

The team wanted me to create pieces that reflected the energy of each city the suites were named after but also to give each room a different look. This meant that they had real variety to offer clients looking to book events or conferences.

A popular way to fill a wall is three pieces rather than one large canvas. I created a triptique with different images of New York. My tendencies to use obscure unknown shots of pavement had to be addressed, because my client wanted obvious references to each city that the suites were named after. I had to choose images that shouted these cities clearly, I couldn’t be looking for nuances and hints, the canvases needed to shout  New York! So … Yellow cabs, The Empire State building, Subway and oh a fire escape … Do they say New York to you?

The largest of the suites, this room demanded large pieces. In each case I suggested the artwork should be hung opposite the entrance to each room so that potential clients got the ‘wow’ factor of each room immediately. I  photographed  Liverpool’s very own China Town, the results of which you see here. I combined street names and their Chinese translation with shots of the iconic arch. Reds, golds and green all sit happily together, in a mixture of type from different restaurants signs and  supermarkets with close up details of rooftops and dragons!

The smallest of the suites with a huge table running its length, this had quite an intimate feel, you could imagine a large Dinner just as easily as a board meeting. I used imagery from Dublin, combined with Liverpool's own references to the fair city, which tended to be pub related! I created two pieces that sit either side of the window working with a classic palette of grey and charcoal.

A city which I have never visited  before but now really want to. For most  commissions I use my own library of film photographs which I have collected over the past fifteen years. Here faced with a city I have not visited I purchased images from Shutterstock to create the look my client wanted and combined them with my own generic shots of Liverpool. Cologne is a magic, heady mix of modern and classic buildings, which hopefully is evident here. I created two long pieces which sit next to each other animating one entire wall

The corridor which leads to all the conference suites was an empty soulless stretch of carpet. My client wanted me to provide focus to this whole area, often potential clients will stand here and talk at length with members of Holiday Inn staff as they discuss which room might suit their needs the most. I used classic imagery of Liverpool throughout the corridor and created gallery feel with one large focus piece at the end. The walls were grey so I introduced colours within the pictures that complimented the area.