An art exhibition at NOW Gallery telling the history of Greenwich through its chimneys will end this week.
Up in Smoke, created by designer John Booth and Mat Barnes’ architect studio Critical Architecture Network (CAN), opened to the public on 21 June and is free to enter.
NOW Gallery, based in the Greenwich Peninsula, hosts five reimagined chimneys which tell the story of the area.
John Booth and Mat Barnes said: “The chimney holds such a romanticised position in how we collectively view and inhabit the city.
“We want to amplify these feelings and stir up personal memories and collective joy in the visitors that experience the installation.
“Chimneys like you’ve never seen them before and likely never see again.”
The art installation is hand-painted by Booth with vivid colours and patterns lighting up the room.
The public can stroll through centuries of hand-painted chimneys and climb up one installation for a panorama of the gallery.
Curator Jemima Burrill said: “Chimneys are part of our city psyche and they define our skyline.”
The art exhibition about Greenwich history starts with an installation of the Powder Magazine which used to store gunpowder in the 1700s, accompanied by an etching of the building which was the first ever drawing of the peninsula.
Visitors can learn about the last chimneys used for gas works, before the introduction of North Sea Gas which caused production at East Greenwich Gas Works to end.
NOW Gallery elite curator Kaia Charles, who helped shape the execution of this project, said: “This concept resonated with us, it was an opportunity to talk about the industrial history of the peninsula.”
People of all ages can enjoy what the space has to offer, with interactive child-friendly drawing activities and a vintage TV playing an interview with the artists.
Charles said: “We firmly believe that art should be accessible and our space is not very traditional, we always challenge artists to look at the space differently.
“People can engage with art through interaction.”
John Booth is a Scottish fashion illustrator, ceramicist and textile designer based in London.
CAN is an architecture studio founded by Mat Barnes in 2016.
The studio was recognised with the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) London award in 2022.
All image credits: Charles Emerson
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