Studio likes a challenge. And they often involve problem solving with Andi Sapey, our ace photographer.
In January, UCL told us about a set of Royal Doulton tile panel paintings which are on display in one of the science labs at the Cruciform building. The Cruciform originally had been a hospital and today’s lab was a children’s ward; in 1905 Margaret E Thompson was commissioned to paint a series of fairy tales to decorate the ward.
However, in 2015 the paintings are now under perspex to protect staff, due to some of the pigments used in the early 1900s being radioactive. Under such a reflective surface, our client asked if it was possible to take photos of the paintings – not only that, the lab has plenty of natural light, bouncing off shiny, metal pipes.
With the help of UCL, we methodically covered all surfaces and blacked out the lab. Each shot was a meticulous process of eliminating sources of light, and then taking the shot in darkness. It was a demanding shoot, but it resulted in a successful series of images, now available as a set of postcards. Mission accomplished.
Thanks to Briony McArdle and Nick Hayes for organisation and sharing the history of the building.