Proposal for the Saatchi Gallery (1995)
At various strategic sites throughout the gallery, the existing false walls used for temporary installations would be removed. Images of leading figures from the principal institutions of power over the previous fifteen years—including politics, industry, education, finance and the arts—would then be frescoed directly onto the exposed wall surfaces. By employing the technique of fresco, these images would become permanently embedded within the actual structure of the gallery itself.
This would entail the rerouting of electrical wiring, pipework and ventilation systems in order to maximise the available wall space. Where no permanent substructure exists, a single-block-thick wall would be constructed specifically to receive the fresco.
Following the exhibition, the false walls would be reinstated, returning the Saatchi Gallery to its normal operation while permanently concealing the frescoes behind its temporary exhibition architecture.
Enclosed are photocopies of the original drawings, which provide a preliminary indication of how the completed installation would appear.
Proposal copyright © James Wagg, 1995.
