Proposal for Seaton Delaval Hall Emerging Artist Prize Shortlist 2022, to design LED neon sign for The Ice Hut and stained glass tyle panels for the main hall
During site visitis, I was immediately drawn to the patterns in the architecture of Seaton Delaval Hall and later enjoyed researching the building and the architect.
In 1688, at age 24, John Vanbrugh was captured as a POW/suspected spy in France for four years. There, he learned the visual language of baroque.With no architectural training, he designed some of the most iconic English Baroque buildings.
From 1943 – 1949, German/Italian POWs were held at Seaton Delaval Hall, working as labourers on local farms. As a creative hobby, they made wooden toys from the windowsills and roof of the hall.
After the fire of 1822, the hall fell into ruin. Artist John Piper visited in 1941 and remarked ‘The centre block.. ochre and flame-licked red, pockmarked and stained in purplish umber and black. The colour is extremely up to date, very much of our times’
My proposal celebrates the legacy of the building, now nicknamed ‘The Geordie Versailles’. Inspired by the shapes in the architecture, the colours left by the fire, and Vanbrugh’s individual style, I proposed creating a neon sign for The Ice Hut and stained-glass style window panels for the hall.