Big Walls and Windows 2023: Geneve Chu and Alex Free in the project's tenth year

Overlooking the public Crossing of the Central Saint Martins building at Granary Square, a 2-part installation uses colour, texture and space to celebrate the character and energy of our creative community. Showing in the Window Galleries to 24 Jan, Big Walls and Windows 2023 speaks to the highs and lows of artistic practice, our relationships to each other and to the college space we all inhabit.

Since 2013, BA Fine Art students have proposed ideas for a largescale, site-specific artwork to show at the college entrance in an annual competition supported by Cass Art and Liquitex. On the project’s 10th anniversary year, student pair Geneve Chu and Alex Free were chosen to each occupy a window with their distinctive sculptural pieces.

Their expressive multicoloured drapes, twists and cutouts with shared motifs and colours have been realised with the help of their tutors and the teams at Cass Art and Liquitex, who each year provide the artists with financial, material and design support to bring their ideas into being at this scale.

From here on out

Second year student Geneve’s installation ‘From here on out’ is a reminder of the importance of things that bring us happiness and to surround ourselves with positive energy. A laser-cut design references words collected from students and staff at Central Saint Martins expressing how the space resonates with them. The cutout gives way to painted fabric draped across the space.

“I have learnt a lot about myself throughout this journey and challenged myself by focusing more on materiality which differed from my usual art practice. What excited me most about this opportunity was to be able to take up such a large space, as this is not something you can easily come across and for that, I am thankful to CSM. I am also grateful to Liquitex and Cass Art for helping me rediscover my love for inks and their versatility. This was an invaluable learning experience, which enriched and expanded the possibilities of my art practice." - Geneve

The installation hopes to assure viewers that they are not alone and that they should enjoy the process, rather than being dictated by what feels like the ‘right choice’. From here on out acknowledges the importance of time and how it impacts our growth as artists.

Here we meet

With his structure ‘Here we meet’, final year student Alex Free reflects on the international nature of the college “where everyone is united at this one point of creativity.” Constructed of ropes and strings hand-dyed in batches with acrylic ink, the installation stands as a monument that understands the complexity and agency of the student body, and every individual person’s place within it.

In taking on this project Alex and Geneve gained experience of what is it like to work on a commission, the creation of a large-scale, site specific installation, and working to a budget and set timeframes.

“It was a really exciting experience to work on such a large scale, I usually like making larger work in the studio but I have never been about to make something so big, the feeling in taking up space is a really interesting one and I had to factor in a lot of weight issues when it came to installing my work, the weight on the main sculpture itself, the weight on the string, etc – Alex

My finished piece differed from the proposed design as I realised that the form really depended on me being hands-on with the materials and experimenting with various shapes. I learnt to be more open, flexible and adaptable to embrace those possibilities instead of feeling restricted by uncertainty and a need for total control. The project also helped develop my confidence in my capabilities of handling such a huge project, not only with the technical aspects but also the logistics. - Geneve

The two finished works and ten years of Big Walls and Windows artworks at Central Saint Martins and Camberwell College of Arts was celebrated in a special evening event on 23 November. Alex and Geneve and staff and students from BA Fine Art and beyond were joined by representatives and guests from Cass Art and Liquitex, previous project winners, and public visitors to the exhibition.

“It is so rewarding to see my work in the CSM Windows, especially seeing people approaching closer to inspect the cutouts and trying to identify words inside the design. I am overjoyed to see my intention translate to real life. - Geneve

“It feels really rewarding It seeing the final piece in place, it represents weeks of hard work finally coming to fruition. - Alex