Artist Maciej Urbanek has used an Epson large-format printer and media to produce a stunning work of art installed in St Michael’s Church, Camden, London. Commissioned by Father Philip North, team rector of the Parish of Old St Pancras, and funded by John Booth Charitable Foundation, the 60m2 piece - titled ‘HS’ - is made of sculpted bin bags that have been photographed and digitally reworked to create a focal point within the church.
A graduate of Goldsmiths College and the Royal Academy of Arts, Urbanek is currently photography tutor at the Royal Academy Schools, while still developing his art practice producing large-scale printed works.
Urbanek has used Epson materials and equipment within the RA Schools’ Epson Digital Media Suite since he was a student so knows the technology well. “Once I had secured funding for the project I contacted Epson who readily agreed to help by offering me the use of their print facility at Hemel Hempstead,” said Urbanek.
But it wasn’t going to be a straightforward print job: “I didn’t want to print the work in strips because then I have long vertical cuts going through the work and the eye is really drawn to them. I wanted to print the work in elements that would be cut along the lines within the image. Not only does this keep the look of the original artwork but another advantage is that I can install the work easily, putting it together piece by piece - like a giant puzzle.”
Urbanek divided the work into 27 large pieces which were then printed on Epson Ultrasmooth Fine Art paper using an Epson Stylus Pro 11880 printer. It took 24 hours to print the pieces and a further three days to install.
There will be a grand unveiling of the new artwork by Urbanek on Thursday 4 December 2014, 6-9pm, at St Michael’s Church, Camden Road, London, NW1 9QL.
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