Big Walls and Windows 2023: Emily Jackson's greyscale illusion mural

Since 2013, the Big Walls and Windows project has provided Fine Art students at Central Saint Martins and Camberwell College of Arts with the opportunity to create temporary artworks at key onsite locations. This year, the annual project, which is supported by Liquitex and Cass Art, celebrates its 10th anniversary and 3rd year at Camberwell. The project challenges artists to fully exploit the scale and context of each space with work that can be produced safely, within a limited timescale, and to a given budget.

This year’s selected winner is Emily Jackson, a Scottish artist who is currently in 2nd year studying BA Fine Art: Painting at Camberwell College of Arts. Emily’s work interrogates the concept of space, with a particular interest in liminal space and line work.

For the 2023 Big Walls and Windows Project, Emily worked with Liquitex and Cass Art to create a graphic mural, inviting the public to step into a black-and-white abstract world.

“My work is usually small-scale, but I applied to the Big Walls and Windows project because I wanted to do something large-scale and life-size. My idea was to use the space at Camberwell to make it appear as if you are looking down hallways; creating a 3D space that makes you feel like you could walk into the artwork”

Using flat colours and black lines, Emily’s winning artwork immerses the viewer in a muted space with each side of the wall containing a corridor which seemingly leads to the same doorway. Taking inspiration from indie video games and their graphic nature, the mural creates a liminal space contrasting the surroundings of a busy art college with a greyscale mural to create a moment of stillness.

Reflecting on the significance of this year’s project, Cass Art’s Liesel Thomas comments: “This year we celebrate 10 years of the project, which has enabled students to learn the skills necessary to create such a work, from proposal to completion; navigating pitfalls along the way and developing skills vital for their art careers beyond university. Emily has embraced the challenge with her greyscale painting, inviting us to step through the wall and question: what is waiting for us on the other side?”

Global Fine Art Collective Manager at Liquitex, Stephanie Nebbia, says: “In its 10th year, the Big Walls and Windows project has, year upon year, been a huge success. Emily’s proposal really resonated with us and her choice of tools and materials by Liquitex meant that she realised the potential of her ideas fully, turning the space into a bold, visual structure. It is wonderful to be able to collaborate and create these ambitious opportunities for students and platform their ideas.”

Emily’s work is on show from Thursday 27 April – Sunday 28 May at the entrance of Camberwell College of Arts.

• Find out more about BA Fine Art: Painting
• Look back at the Big Walls and Windows project 2022