Procurement of art for the de-constructivist, RIBA award winning, extension by Surface Architects to an early Victorian lock keepers cottage on the Regent’s Canal. This purpose-built research centre for the Arts & Humanities Department at QMUL is dedicated for postgraduate use, comprising small lecture rooms and a relaxation space. It forms a contemporary extension to the traditional proportions of the lock keepers cottage as a series of interlocking forms wrapping around the North and West sides of the cottage on ground and first floor levels.  

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A collection of contemporary oil paintings by Zoe Benbow (RCA) was sourced for the building. The siting of the largest work, Aerial Map, functions as a focal point on the first floor, creating a visual reference to both the geographical location by the waterside and the conceptual architecture. Benbow subverts traditional perspective through the use of flattened planes across the picture surface. Reference is made to the European landscape genre as a construct that examines established perceptions of our place in the world.

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Maggie O’Regan has worked with QMUL over a period of years sourcing art for its Physics, Law, Geography and Humanities faculties.