From 1 July – 30 September the Artists Walk returns to the Park and Palace. More than 25 artists from Haringey – including sculptors, poets, painters and photographers – will be displaying their works across the site to create a art walking trail for everyone to discover and enjoy.
The Artists Walk was created last year, by artist and curator Rosha Nutt and art marketing consultant Holly Collier, in response to the lack of exhibition space, and other opportunities, available to artists during the pandemic. Rosha says: “Artists have had a really tough time over the pandemic, so many galleries and events have been cancelled. This art trail is a wonderful opportunity to champion the talent from the borough. The grounds of Alexandra Palace are beautiful and accessible to everyone and the trail offers a healthy way to take in art outside of the traditional gallery space. We hope bringing local artists into view within the community creates connections, conversations and possibly even some sales for the artists.”
One of the participating artists is Lisa Gilby, the photographer behind Freshest Frames So we asked her a few questions…
Hi Lisa, how did you come to be involved in Artists Walk? It all started when an exhibition I’d been planning at Green Rooms in Wood Green back in 2020 had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. It was my first solo exhibition and I’d already had my images printed and framed, so I was really disappointed! So when I heard about Artists Walk, a project that encouraged artists like myself to exhibit our work in local windows, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to share my photographs. I had such a good reaction last year, and I was delighted to be asked to participate again this year.
Tell us a bit about your work? I’m a professional photographer, specialising in headshots, creative portraits and dance on location photography. I work mostly with performers, like actors and dancers but a range of people really. I enjoy working closely with my clients to create images that are unique for their portfolios and promotional uses. My studio is based in Haringey but I also offer location shoots all around London.
What work will you be displaying this time around? This year I wanted to create some photographs especially for Artists Walk, featuring our local area. I was delighted to do the shoot in the Palm Court, inside Alexandra Palace itself. I’ve always wanted to photograph in the Palm Court; it’s such a beautiful space with the glass ceiling and the tropical plants! I knew straight away that I would have to try some upshots to make sure the glass ceiling was a big feature in the images. I also wanted to use the pyramid structures somehow to complement the dance poses. When photographing dance on location, I always aim to portray the strength, talent and beauty of the dance whilst using the location creatively to enhance this. For this shoot I worked with two hip-hop dancers Anmol Kaur & Francesca Miles. I’m really excited to share the finished images with everyone who visits Alexandra Palace over the next few months.
As a local artist, what is it like to work at Alexandra Palace? I grew up in Hornsey and have visited Ally Pally all my life. I did dance performances here with my school and have visited for lots of events over the years. A recent one that stands out? The Specials in the Great Hall was a particular highlight. So to have worked here now and have my photographs exhibited here, is really exciting.
Are there any other works in Artists Walk you are looking forward to seeing? There are so many amazing artists taking part this year so there is definitely lots to look out for! I wish I could talk about them all but here are just a few art works I’ve particularly enjoyed so far. Ben Wilson’s chewing gum art is great fun to hunt for as they’re so small, but when you find them you can see how detailed and intricate his work is. Kieron Rennie’s spoken word piece “Artistic Breeze” is very emotive. Printmaker Alice White is displaying a great collage with a really motivational message. Illustrator Kareen Cox is displaying a really beautiful portrait called “African girl” and also an amazing Black Lives Matter word art piece that features hand drawn typography. And Julia Clarke’s hanging sculptures are really enjoyable to look up at in the trees! There really are a variety of artistic disciplines on display around the park and definitely something for everyone so I encourage everyone to visit the trail!
