Farewell to Thurloe Place
Farewell to Thurloe Place

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Farewell to Thurloe Place

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Jacques Nimki's children's workshop

Looking Back at our Second Pop-up

Born of concepts arresting in their simplicity - reframing the everyday, moving the outside in, playing with reality and the artificial - the piece elicited reactions from visitors which were a joy to observe.

Our time at 10a Thurloe Place was a really exciting one - both for Plinth as a brand, and the evolution of our vision. There, we cemented our commitment to breaking down the walls between categories, and to bridging the gap between art and the public. We exhibited design pieces alongside site-specific installations, work from emerging artists alongside prints from Magnum Photos and held talks and workshops with those exhibiting. Jacques Nimki’s Florilegium SW7, a living meadow which filled our ground floor gallery and front window, proved an especial draw to those walking past. Born of concepts arresting in their simplicity - reframing the everyday, moving the outside in, playing with reality and the artificial - the piece elicited reactions from visitors which were a joy to observe.

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Jacques Nimki's Florilegium SW7

At the beginning of our run, we participated in London Design Festival; an experience we’re eager to repeat. The public streamed into our pop-up, and we had more than a thousand visitors over the course of the week. We held a stimulating, accessible and varied series of talks and workshops at the gallery. Foldability’s Kyla McCallum, who displayed her largest-scale installation to date (Reftraction, 2016) on our mezzanine, held a workshop in which she introduced the public to traditional methods of pleating.

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Kyla McCallum installs 'Refraction', 2016

Reiko Kaneko, who designed a new series of ceramics inspired by ‘Florilegium SW7’, held two workshops in which attendees were invited to decorate their own plates, mugs and bowls to take away:

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Reiko Kaneko ceramics workshop

The public streamed into our pop-up, and we had more than a thousand visitors over the course of the week.

F.Bombe, a north London initiative famous for their decadent and unique floral installations, held a festival at the gallery over a full weekend. The itinerary incorporated cocktails made with rose-infused gin, a sun-printing workshop and a flower market:

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F.Bombe 'sun-printing' workshop

As our time at the gallery neared its end, Florilegium SW7 began to move from installation to canvas; various talks and events were held on and around it. Artist Caroline Hobkinson hosted a private dinner - an immersive experience whose courses were inspired by South Kensington’s most celebrated alumni - and ‘The Living Table’ was displayed the following day, the remnants of the meal a visible testament to the experience.

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'The Living Table' by Caroline Hobkinson on display

Our very last weekend was devoted to celebrating our time at the space, and making the most of Nimki’s incredible installation before it was sent to its new, permanent home in the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Garden. Jacques hosted a picnic on the grass on our last Saturday, and spoke with art critic and visual arts edition for the Londonist, Tabish Khan, about his work on the Sunday.

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Plinth proved - despite being new on the scene - that our vision and dedication mean that we’re being taken as seriously as we take our projects.

While we learnt an enormous amount from our first pop-up and launch at Great Russell Street, this second adventure taught us a lot in its own right. Although it proved hard work for a small team to run a programme of events alongside the exhibition, launch a new range of merchandise to coincide with the unveiling of David Shrigley’s Fourth Plinth commission ‘Really Good', and maintain our online offerings of editorial content, the pop-up was an overwhelming success. Covered by the Telegraph, Londonist, Creative Review, Disengo, Design Milk and Core77, Plinth proved - despite being new on the scene - that our vision and dedication mean that we’re being taken as seriously as we take our projects.

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