Member Article

Stunning exhibition lights up Sunny Bank Mills

Award-winning architects KPP, responsible for the stunning regeneration of Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley, near Leeds, are sponsoring a prestigious art exhibition at the mill complex.

Forms Assembled in the Light: The KPP Prize for Art, Architecture and Design, runs until October 28.

The exhibition features 33 artists from across the UK and has a prize of £1,000 for the winning entry.

It is inspired by the parallels between art, architecture and design and will be housed in Sunny Bank’s wonderful art gallery, a 3,000 sq ft art, design and culture space in a light and tranquil old cloth warehouse.

Rachel Slater of KPP, based in Leeds, explained: “Sponsoring Forms Assembled in the Light was an opportunity for us to collaborate with the Sunny Bank Gallery on a unique level.

“The different artistic skills of the team produced a brief which encouraged artists to submit works in any medium, scale and subject. The variety and quality of the submissions has exceeded our aspirations for the exhibition and we are excited about sharing it with the public.”

John Gaunt, co-owner of Sunny Bank Mills, said: “This is a very special exhibition for us, due to our close and award-winning relationship with KPP, whose imagination and technical expertise have helped to transform our old mill into a flourishing 21st century office and leisure development and community hub.

“The exhibition has caught the imagination and attention of talented artists from all around the country. The result is some stunning work that is both valuable and will go on to other prestigious galleries after ours.   “The exhibition formed an integral part of the Heritage Open Day between September 7-9, when Sunny Bank Mills was open to the public.”   There is a private Meet the Artists and Prize-giving event on Friday October 12.   Jane Kay, Arts Director at Sunny Bank Mills, explained: “We are delighted to be showcasing the work of such a talented range of artists in this spectacular exhibition in collaboration with KPP, our architects”.

The exhibition is free. It runs until 28th October. The Gallery is open from 10am – 4pm Tuesday to Saturday and 11am – 4pm on Sundays.

The Gallery is the creative hub of the Mill and the local community, playing host to a rolling exhibition programme of art by local, regional and national artists, supporting the performing-arts and concerts within the mill spaces and providing a venue to hire for small events.

During the past seven years the multi award-winning Sunny Bank Mills, one of the most famous family-owned mills in Yorkshire where YTV’s Emmerdale and Heartbeat were once filmed, has become the home more than 70 companies, who employ a total of 355 staff. It is also a best-practice case study in a report Engines of Prosperity, on the conversion and regeneration of West Yorkshire’s textile mills prepared by Cushman and Wakefield on behalf of Historic England.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .