Artwork by Pippa Smith
London Chamber Orchestra has appointed Pippa Smith as Partner Artist for a three year cycle, covering the 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons.
The appointment follows a successful trial during the 2021/22 season, which saw Pippa create a series of stunning artworks for the orchestra’s 100th anniversary season.
Pippa comments: “The partnership with LCO has come as a huge, exhilarating surprise to me. I am so excited to be working alongside such a well-established and respected organisation that has taken such big steps to embrace inclusivity, diversity and equality. I firmly believe that who we are shapes our art, and if stifled or marginalised, so becomes our creative product. It is thrilling that LCO seems to mirror this, which really does cement our compatibility.”
During her work with LCO in 2021/22, Pippa discovered a creative link between music and printmaking, and felt that the raw, textured, often inconsistent yet meticulous nature of organic linocuts and drypoint matched that of a musical score. With the LCO celebrating its 100 year anniversary, she felt it apt to mimic the stylised technique of the 1920’s in her work.
For the 2022/23 season, Pippa returns to linocut with an exciting two-block reduction print to launch the season. The colour palette plays a particularly important role, mirroring the move of the orchestra into the new century by dipping into a more modernist palette of brighter colours. This combined with the strong, bold cuts of the musical instruments, makes a strong statement.
Although Pippa cuts and prints by hand, the imagery is transferred to a digital platform. She does however maintain the integrity of the print and the organic and raw marks are still visible. The colour work is applied digitally, however the work is not sleek and faultless, which is exactly what she wanted to portray. The manner in which the LCO encompasses diversity, individuality and uniqueness inspired this approach, and as each human being is involved, each of her prints is unique.