Impossible Buildings: Interpreting Place
Jessie Brennan

Jessie Brennan, LU staff and students from The Charter School
A project inspired by Southwark
From May 2009

Models by LU Staff & Students, and The Charter School.

Taking as a starting point the different ways in which artists draw from the world to create their own imaginary places, artist Jessie Brennan worked together with London Underground staff and students from The Charter School on a project to explore the area that connects Southwark Underground station and Tate Modern.

The expedition started inside the station, where participants looked at and recorded their impressions of the built environment, architecture, materials and surfaces. They then went to look at a range of artworks at Tate Modern.

Inspired by this journey, a series of three-dimensional models and drawings of 'impossible buildings' have been created. Together, these works reveal and reflect an array of individual interpretations and a multiplicity of interests in the world around us.

This project was developed alongside Peter McDonald's residency and billboard commission, Art for Everybody at Southwark Underground station.

Jessie Brennan studied at Cardiff School of Art & Design and the Royal College of Art, London. She has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions, including 'Over and Over Again', Sadlers Wells, London (2007), 'Divination', Brunswick Gallery, London (2008) and 'Black Light', Brook Gallery, Devon (2009). She is a visiting university lecturer in drawing and leads projects for a number of galleries in London. In 2006 she was the recipient of a Leverhulme Trust Bursary and was awarded the Augustus Martin Prize in 2007.

Thanks to LU staff at London Bridge group and Year 10 Creative & Media Diploma students from The Charter School who contributed to the project.