London City Airport unveils bold new commission

London City Airport unveils bold new commission by East End artist to mark airport’s next chapter

A colourful new screen-print by commissioned artist and print-maker Gerry Buxton has been unveiled by London City Airport. The bold composition, which depicts the activity of the airport with the distinctive skylines of the City and Canary Wharf in the backdrop, was revealed next to the airport’s runway by Buxton and the airport Chief Executive, Declan Collier. It will go on display in the airport terminal later this month.

The airport, which last year welcomed a record 4.3 million passengers, has gone from strength to strength since opening in 1987 - now serving nearly 50 destinations across Europe and the USA.

Chief Executive Declan Collier said:

"With London City Airport at the heart of the regeneration and growth of east London, it’s apt that we’ve commissioned Gerry Buxton, a local creative talent, to produce this memorable artwork. With our new owners now in place and a record breaking year under our belt, we’re looking to add colour to our plans to continually improve the only airport actually in London, including further expansion."

Artist Gerry Buxton said:

"It has been a real privilege to work on a print for London City Airport. Since moving to London I have been fascinated by the number and the frequency of planes flying overhead, and they have become a recurring motif in my work. I leapt at the opportunity to be able to photograph the planes and the airport from the runway and to begin to build an image I feel captures the life and movement of a typical day at the airport. I wanted to create a bold and vibrant print that embodies the thrill of taking off to new destinations."

In order to create the print, Buxton spent hours on the runway taking over 500 photographs of planes taxiing and taking off. Using a base image created from nine different photographs in two different locations, Buxton painstakingly traced and highlighted the most important elements, before distilling the information down to the five colours that that make up the final artwork. All of London City Airport’s staff will also receive their own individual copy of the limited edition print.

14/04/2016