20th Anniversary commission
Commission by artsdepot, North Finchley, 2025. Images by Elena-Andreea Teleaga.
The piece utilises images from artsdepot’s extensive archives, throwing shadows around the foyer. It is based on materials found at the venue - an old disco ball from the back of the theatre store and scraps of paper from the learning room.
Every time I have visited artsdepot, I’m reminded what a rare and special place it is – a real community hub that’s open to everyone and still true to the spirit it started with. So, for the 20 Anniversary commission, I wanted to make something about people – about coming together to create something new.
The work is built from objects and materials found in artsdepot itself and created with staff, volunteers and visitors. It digs into the building’s archives and shows them in a fresh way, using a touch of illusion to spark connections between people and encourage playful interaction. As light and shadows animate the space, the work comes alive – creating moments of surprise, joy, and celebration.
The disco ball has been clad in images from the archives, hand-cut to create shadows, telling the story of the past 20 years. The images are arranged in sequences, playing with the idea of the film strip and thaumatrope - inventions made to dazzle spectators with the illusion of movement.
It’s something everyone can take part in, and hopefully it invites a bit of that wide-eyed, childlike wonder we don’t often get to feel. In the same way that artsdepot’s learning and events bring in new faces and fresh ideas, the work is about renewal – how each group adds their own energy and keeps the creative spark going. By embracing those fleeting moments we share – through changing light, movement, and the sense that anything is possible – the piece transforms familiar spaces and celebrates the magic of making something together.
The second part of the work recreates a long-lost lampshade, bringing it back in a new way. Keeping the aesthetics of the original, it’s made from hundreds of scraps of paper gathered from the education space, pieced together to make something bigger than any one part.
Each square was folded by staff and visitors, with a secret message tucked inside — words hidden in a simple paper shape, inspired by the ‘fortune tellers’ many of us made as kids. Together, they turn the shade into a patchwork of stories and moments, lit up when the light shines through.
Like artsdepot itself, it’s about people coming together — about the spark that happens when you mix different hands, voices and ideas, creating shared moments that make a place feel special.
