Walala x Play
NOW Gallery, Greenwich Peninsula’s cultural platform for exciting design, fashion and art exhibitors, is delighted to welcome renowned digital print designer Camille Walala as its 2017 Design Collaborator. From 14th July – 24th September, Walala x Play, an interactive abstract installation and immersive maze will capture the imaginations of NOW Gallery’s audience this summer.
Walala x Play welcomes visitors to explore, examine and enjoy a labyrinthine network of corridors and enclosed spaces in a ‘temple of wonder’ created by Walala Studio. A key part of this installation will be an imaginative puzzle which invites the solver to identify the inconsistencies between two otherwise identical images. Walala x Play brings this concept off the page and into three- dimensional space, inviting visitors to linger and explore colour, shape and scale, contemplating formidable pattern to find the differences.
The anomalies and asymmetries will generally be discreetly positioned, requiring visitors to scrutinize the space from all angles to complete the puzzle. Secret spots will be found when looking down from the balcony or looking up at the suspended elements. This element of physicality will encourage individuals to become more aware of their bodies, engage their minds and give themselves over to PLAY.
Visitors are encouraged to pass through the gallery and experience a range of spaces, some open, some tight and uncomfortable, some with dead ends. With walls of different heights, passageways of different widths, curved and zigzag paths, the installation addresses the idea of human scale. It ensures that visitors leave with not only a visual impression of the installation, but transformed by the experience of their own passage through it.
Mirrored panels reflect the space back on itself; suspended shapes introduce a feeling of lightness and playful disorientation – the installation is a journey that will challenge, reward and engage the visitor in equal measure.
The waterways of the Greenwich Peninsula, the curve of the Thames, and the internal shapes and angles of the Marks Barfield buildings are referenced and represented in the ideas of flow and reflection that define Walala x Play. The layout of the installation playfully mirrors the shape of the building. The gallery sets the template for the flow of the space.
For this summer installation NOW Gallery is pleased to have Camille Walala’s positive vibe, expressed through vibrant colour and bold pattern. Her work harnesses optimistic typography and exuberant geometries to create environments that stimulate the senses and inspire joy. A graduate in textile design from the University of Brighton, she established her namesake brand in East London in 2009, and continues to live and work there today.
