Posted:22-May-2013
Prokill franchise of Thames West lauded by artists
Two digital artists have featured Prokill Thames West in 'Working Beautifully', their visual archive of twenty-first century workers at one hundred Swindon firms. The exhibition opens in Swindon on 20 May 2013 and is now online.
With a nod towards August Sander's collection "People of The Twentieth Century" which has been in print for nearly a century, the artists - photographer Nigel Hudson and painter Timothy Cumming - collaborated for over a year to produce a portfolio of over seven hundred digital and mixed media paintings and composite photographs. The works visualise the activity, trades and people of 100 businesses in Swindon.
"We chose Prokill Thames West because of its tenacious performance over the recession - they've adapted beautifully", says Cumming.
"We've tried to convey the beauty of Prokill Thames West, its people and boardroom - the lucky light we had on the day, the hawk's shape and their friendly staff. But we also observed the unique human approach they have there and a sense of their natural pride" says co-artist Hudson.
"To us, it seems that the full British workplace story needs a fuller telling" adds Cumming.
"Slowly, the country's on the rise, so we wanted to immerse ourselves in the contemporary look of work, its effort and its spirit. And Prokill Thames West demonstrates that admirably. Each of the 100 firms we've selected has shown the grit and guts necessary to thrive, even in a tricky economic climate. Worries about a triple-dip recession simply do not match the attitude or prosperity that we witness in these firms."
Justin Holloway, Prokill Branch Principal, added “Occasionally something comes along that is simply inspirational and the Working Beautifully project is just that. Prokill are proud to have been selected to participate and sponsor the event in Swindon, a joyous place to work and to grow our company.”
Working Beautifully features over seven hundred original digital paintings and photographic composites created by Hudson and Cumming over the last twelve months. The images take a glimpse behind the scenes of the some of the South West's largest and smallest firms. Subjects range from the small - The Sewing Shop, Hatch Engineering and the Magic Kebab House, through to the large - technicians, administrators, managers and support staff of BMW, Nokia Siemens, Intel and Nationwide for example.
Local MP Justin Tomlinson says "The vitality of UK firms is championed by Swindon". The town has the highest Gross Value Added (GVA) per head in the South West, and the fourth highest GVA per hour in the UK, proving an impressive level of workforce productivity*.
All one hundred firms are featured on a 25 metre 'tapestry' created especially for this landmark show. One painting by Cumming and one photographic composite by Hudson will represent each firm. The artists and representatives of the firms, including Prokill Thames West, will present the tapestry to Swindon Borough Council after the show.
* According to the Work Foundation
About the show
• The show runs from Monday the 20th-26th of May inclusive at the Brunel Centre in Swindon.
• Press event on 20 May 10-11am where Prokill Thames West workers, and entrepreneurs and artists will be available for interview at the First Floor Plaza, Brunel Centre in Swindon
• Private view on 20 May at 6.30pm-8.30pm
• Tapestry donation press event is 28 May, 9.30am, where Prokill Thames West will participate in the donation of the tapestry to Forward Swindon at the First Floor Plaza, Brunel Centre in Swindon
Slideshow
The artists can dispatch two high resolution images from the show for use in your publication.
They can also send up to 15 images for a slideshow on your digital publication if you wish. Please let us know who to email.
About the artists
Timothy Cumming
Timothy Cumming is a Scottish artist working mainly in digital oils and acrylics. A painter of both abstract and figurative paintings and portraits, he’s the son of renowned Edinburgh artist, James Cumming.
Tim works in mixed, print and large-format digital media. A late comer to the world of art, he studied engineering at Glasgow University and has worked in the creative industries – mainly music, design, photography, web and software – both as artist and technician.
Tim is based in Devizes, Wiltshire.
Nigel Hudson
Nigel Hudson is a photographer who specialises in the workplace.
Nigel is well known for his work inside large organisations – creating images that have a strong visual narrative. This project he says, has opened up all sorts of new challenges and creative opportunities – and re-awakened his interest in a more artistic approach to image making.
Nigel studied at St Martin’s School of Art in London and director and photographer of his own company WORX iD Limited, which specialises in creating and managing brand image libraries for large organisations.
Nigel is based near Marlborough, Wiltshire.
Interested and want to know more about Prokil?
The Prokil profile outlines all aspects of their franchise opportunity and allows you to contact them for further information or to ask a question.
