London Graffiti Fan

Street art enthusiasts can add another highlight to London’s graffiti fan trail with the arrival of a new EINE art work in Kings Cross. The artist will take up residence in his home town to paint a piece based on the theme of «curiosity», commissioned in 2014 by publisher Macmillan Science and Education (newly part of joint venture Springer Nature), to celebrate the completion of its new state-of-the-art London Campus in the thriving regeneration area of Kings Cross.

Commenting on the commission, Dominic Knight, Executive Director of Change Programmes at Macmillan Science and Education, said: «It has been so exciting to collaborate with EINE on this project, which will complement the many wonderful public art installations throughout the Kings Cross area. It will also complement the design aesthetic of our new home and the «Curiosity» theme we have brought to life elsewhere on our Campus, which expresses the passion for learning and discovery running through our business.»

Macmillan has been based in a heritage building situated south of Kings Place and backing the Regent’s Canal for over 20 years and has now expanded its Campus to encompass three more buildings in Regent Quarter. Due to many of its buildings being listed and of architectural interest the piece will be radically different to EINE’s previous projects. Instead of spray painting on an exterior wall as with much of his other graffiti work, EINE will paint on to large acrylic panels which will then be installed in a glass-fronted atrium, wrapping the corner of Macmillan’s Printworks building on York Way and Railway Street.

When complete, it will feature an embedded graphic which uses augmented reality technology to allow visitors to unlock a «making of» film by Pagefield Creative, featuring an interview with EINE, via their smart devices. EINE will also host a Q&A with Macmillan’s 100-strong art and design team and students from the Graphics and Communication Programme at Central St Martins on Wednesday 10 June.

The new commission is the culmination of a wider arts programme which has been rolled out across the Campus. As part of the redevelopment project, Macmillan brought together a group of its own designers in a unique collaboration to create a series of creative features, based around three themes: «Transformers», in homage to great writers, thinkers and scientists who inspire the company’s employees; «Curiosity», which has been brought to life in a multi-media «Curiosity Wall», in the main Campus reception as well as the new EINE installation and «Heritage», with pieces that relate to the buildings and their previous use.

EINE said: «It is always exciting to be back in London and to collaborate with new people on projects like this one with Macmillan. Albert Einstein said curiosity is the key to the creative process and I totally agree; staying curious and engaged always makes for the greatest adventures in life.»