Luisa Rodríguez

Canary Wharf New District

Artist Residency

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The CWND residency was conceived to provide artists a space and resources for a period during the summer, initially for Wimbledon students but is now open to anyone interested.

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I was aware that the space provided had many limitations and since my practice requires space for constructions I was more interested in the gathering of resources. I was attracted to this because it is a construction site with no access except for this opportunity, and was eager to meet artists with the same interest. We had visits from practicing artists, academics, and curators.

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As part of a workshop to express our practice with materials at hand, I made a collage which resembled one of the cityscapes I had previously painted. It was here that the idea of creating two-sided objects grew bigger in my mind. I worked one side as neat as possible with balanced textures and colors, realizing later that the back side with all the tape was as strong. The back with all the information showed evidence of its origin and also the true nature of its construction. An element of fragility was also latent

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As a location, Canary Wharf proved to be even more particular after three weeks of exploration. Adding the fact that the entirety of the space is privately owned, it is under special vigilance, no traces of poverty, and the architecture all meant to be pristine and imposing. The idea of utopia was in the air, although taking into consideration all the reflecting glass surfaces the concept of heterotopia came to mind. These are concepts to explore later on as final investigations are meant to be come together in a years time.

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