AfterParty
An experimental art installation reusing the Olympic Stadium wrap
Colourful cuts from the Olympic stadium have found their way into the underbelly of the contemporary art world emerging from the industrial landscape of Hackney Wick, gritty neighbour to the Olympic Park.
Natasha has reused and transformed part of the iconic fabric panels, which wrapped the stadium during the Games, to create an artwork evoking the breaking dawn. With the stadium itself as the backdrop, this art installation entitled “AfterParty”, celebrates the beginnings of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The piece is the first of a series of artworks to be made from the material and was created in under a week following the closure of the Olympic site.
“AfterParty” is being exhibited until 28th October 2012 at Forman’s Smokehouse Gallery, found a stone’s throw away from the Olympic Park in Hackney Wick, with unparalleled views of the stadium. “AfterParty” is part of the group exhibition, Celebration: The Big Picture curated by Sophie Venturini and Neha Malik.
London 2012 Olympic Stadium Wrap turned into art Life inside the London 2012 Olympic Park Andy Wilkes - Official BT storyteller for London 2012 | It's a new dawn for the Olympic panels: Feature article
Times Series - Melanie Dakin Olympic stadium wrap recycled into new Contemporary Artwork Artlyst - London art network |
 Natasha sitting on her chosen wrap panels a week and a half before the opening of the exhibition
 AfterParty installation
Image credits: Peter Stean http://londoneer.org/ |
Natasha has transformed a portion of the 25m long fabric panels using only a Stanley knife, a stapler and some string, in the first of a series of artworks which investigate the concept of an Olympic legacy and the future change it will bring to London and beyond.  Stadium wrap panel being taken down
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The material has been cut into slivers, twisted and woven together, each piece like a brush stroke painting a sunrise in a radiant riot of orange, yellow and blue. Suspended high in the gallery, AfterParty conjures up ideas of a new day after the celebrations of the night before, the advent of the next chapter of the London 2012 Olympic Games now the euphoria has passed. The piece defines a space in the gallery where visitors can reflect upon what they think the after-party of the Games is, with a panoramic view to the very heart of the events themselves; the stadium.
 View of stadium from Forman’s Smokehouse Gallery terrace | By embarking on this project, where the end result would be unknown until the opening of the exhibition Natasha wanted to highlight that in a similar way, the legacy of the Games cannot be predicted until it occurs. The idea of transformation, of positive change, was very important and by re-using and hand-crafting a material from the Olympic stadium itself, the project aims to highlight how even small changes can make a big difference. |
The artwork itself was made and installed during an exciting and intensive
week due to the timing of the Olympic site shutting down and the opening of the
exhibition. The entire process was compressed which meant decisions had to be
made instantly for the design, the
production and the installation of the piece itself. There were initial ideas for
a concept, but the real designing could only really start once the material had
been collected and exciting unknowns could be resolved.
Would the material be easy to cut? How could it be fixed together? Would it fit within the gallery context and adapt to the structures there, as well as the other artworks?
 Natasha's wrap panels
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Following the success of this first installation, “AfterParty” will transform, grow and adapt to future sites and gallery spaces, inside or outside, creating something totally new each time. Natasha hopes to create the subsequent artworks in collaboration with other artists in order to explore a range of interpretations of the concept of legacy and transformation. Image credits: Simon Waller www.siwaller.com
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Find out the story of AfterParty:
 Project Background: Contrasts and Transformations:
Hackney Wick and Olympic Park in construction |
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Natasha is also forever indebted to her friends who have helped make and install with boundless enthusiasm: Nadia Joanes, Sabrina Amande, Matt Gates, Paul O’Brien, Adrian Doherty, Nicola Ibbotson as well as her family who have been key in so many different ways.
