A stunning piece of contemporary art has been commissioned and installed in St Michael's Church, Camden. Measuring more than 60 m2, the large-scale artwork has been produced by artist Maciej Urbanek and printed using an Epson large format printer and media.
The project has been a huge undertaking for the artist but an important one as St Michael's is not just a place for worship but also acts as a meeting place and hub for the local community. Commissioned by Father Philip North, Team Rector of the Parish of Old St Pancras, and funded by John Booth Charitable Foundation, the 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, Maciej is currently photography tutor at the Royal Academy Schools, while still developing his art practice producing large-scale printed works. He 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," says Maciej. 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."
Maciej divided the work into 27 large pieces which were then printed on Epson Ultrasmooth Fine Art paper using an Epson Stylus Pro 11880 printer. "Having used Epson technology for a few years I know exactly what to expect and the combination of printer, media and inks produces the highest quality finish – it's fine art," says Maciej.
The 64-inch Stylus Pro 11880 is the perfect printer for fine art and photography - it's exceptionally fast and produces superb, long-lasting results. Using Epson UltraChrome K3 ink with Vivid Magenta it reproduces consistent stunning, photo-realistic images and is ideal for colour and black & white prints. The Micro Piezo TFP print head technology features 360 micro-fine nozzles per colour, delivering sharp, grain-free images at ultra-high speed.
It took 24 hours to print the 27 pieces and a further three days to install but the overall effect is stunning. "Epson were so helpful in providing their expertise, help and support, not to mention their time, in order to make the production of this artwork possible," says Maciej. "I'm delighted with the finished piece. It creates a fantastic focal point as you enter the church and I hope that the whole community can come together and enjoy it for the next couple of years."
There will be a grand unveiling of the new artwork by Maciej Urbanek on Thursday 4th December 2014, 6-9pm, at St Michael's Church, Camden Road, London, NW1 9QL.
