Colourblock Cranes

Greenwich Peninsula Team
Date11 September 2018

A construction site is not a likely spot to discover contemporary art. But on the Greenwich Peninsula, a series of cranes have been boldly reimagined by London-based designer/artist. Animating the Peninsula skyline, the multi-coloured cranes frame the construction of Upper Riverside, a series of riverfront prisms designed by architects SOM.

Given Myerscough’s preoccupation with colour, it’s a fitting commission: “My days are consumed by thinking about colour,” says Myerscough. “I have spent over two years speaking only in colour in my tweets.” Myerscough now creates work from her findings.

One set of colours has been the source of a 200m-wall installation in the Linkoping Hospital in Sweden, which will be hand-painted and completed in late 2016. Building and construction, too, influence Myerscough’s practice: “When I travel I collect images of temporary scaffold-clad structures, and for many years I have been fascinated by cranes. So to be asked to colour a group of cranes came at the perfect time. Cranes are so skeletal, standing elegantly, moving and sometimes even dancing around in the sky,” she muses. “The sky is continually changing colour, of course, and the cranes seemingly respond to the changes. I can see a yellow crane from my living room; yesterday the sky was stormy and the light was quite eerie and the crane just glowed.”

Myerscough’s work is notable for its bright, engaging palette and forms. “I often use a series of four colours in my work to represent the sun. I like the idea that the first two cranes form the sun, and the colours of the other cranes respond to this hot colour palette.” Myerscough creates places from spaces that people like to be in, and it’s important that her work is stimulating — something that makes audiences smile.

Her oeuvre is broad, spanning the conversion of a train to a café, installations, numerous exhibitions and even a temple for the Southbank Centre’s Festival of love, with Luke Morgan. Myerscough also often works with community groups to develop ideas that reflect the identity of the users, drawing on the shared cultural history and heritage of the local area.

A project for the Sorrell Foundation, which works with London teenagers in their community, for example, resulted in a visual narrative for a youth center that was based on a poem written by local young people.

Her most recent project, MIRAR, saw her install a camera obscura in Zocalo Square in Mexico City. Its purpose was to explore how this can change one’s perceptions of things. On the Peninsula, her colourblock cranes will similarly encourage people to look at their everyday surroundings in a fresh way.

Your favourite place to eat in East London?

I don’t eat out much, but I like The Royal Oak pub on Columbia Road, or the Rivington Grill on Rivington Street.

Best shop in East London?

Tracey Neuls, a shoe designer with a shop on Redchurch Street.

Daily uniform?

Nike ‘Classic Cortez’ trainers, neon socks, Gap ‘1969’ skinny high-rise jeans, black and white stripe T-shirt, Rick Owens classic biker jacket, red lipstick. When I’m painting, no jacket and a spotty Marimekko apron.

What are you reading?

Ettore Sottsass and the Poetry of Things by Deyan Sudjic (Phaidon).