On a wet weekend in mid-September, I found myself (as one does) in an architect’s office in East London. Amidst the chrome-and-glass and strangely configured furniture was a group of artists and architects who were participating in an event called 10×10: Drawing the City London – an initiative run by the charity Article 25.
The concept is to divide an area of London (this year, the City) into a 10×10 grid. 100 artists, designers and architects are then allocated one square and they respond artistically to their zone. The artworks they produce are then exhibited for a week and finally put up for auction. All of the money raised goes to help the charity. Big names such as Richard Rogers, Sir Terry Farrell and Zaha Hadid all take part and therefore the auction can prove extremely profitable for the charity.
The conceit is a neat one. The charity responds to Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that adequate shelter and housing are fundamental to our human rights. The architects who get involved believe they have an obligation to “build” homes. They continue to do so here, but indirectly: their sketches make the money which makes the shelters.
The difference in the responses to the task by the participants was fascinating. Artist Rydal Handbury cherished the way that the initiative had given her the opportunity to draw in a different area of London. Usually she draws commuters at Bank but her patch was at the bottom of Brick Lane. Her drawing caught the sense of community outside a small greengrocers owned by two brothers. During the period that she worked there, they started to sell Jack-fruits – which are rare Bangladeshi goods – and she depicts the enthusiasm and the discernment of the customers.
By contrast Dara Huang, the founder of the luxury design firm Design Haus Liberty, had the intention to look at her space conceptually and “draw what you don’t see”. But most notable was the enthusiasm they all had for the event.
This passion for the initiative was understandable. Article 25 is an enterprising and successful charity that is providing aid where is it often forgotten. One of the stories regaled to me at this event was their struggle in Darfur to provide shelter when they had no water with which to make mud-bricks. They employed researchers at the University of Sheffield to work out the precise amount of human urine that could be mixed with the dirt instead in order to make durable bricks.
So often art auctions in aid for charity are marred by the disquieting disparity between the buyers and those who the charity helps, whether this becomes the case at the auction in November has yet to be seen, but the overwhelming impression of the initial weekend was the uncomplicated desire of the artists to use their skills to help others. It was certainly inspiring.
