Over the years, Gallowglass has worked on exciting projects at breath-taking venues right across the UK; helping create the settings for films, TV shows, global sporting events… the list goes on! This month’s instalment in our ‘Meet the Venue’ series highlights some of our exhibition work - focusing on one particular venue where Gallowglass has crewed for almost 15 years.
Welcome to our next venue…
Name(s): The Saatchi Gallery
Age: 33 years old
Location: Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London
Size: 6,500m2
Capacity: 1,500
Description:
First opened in 1985 by Charles Saatchi, this is one of London’s most renowned art galleries and is home to an innovative collection of contemporary art exhibitions. Specialising in displaying the work of new or international artists, the gallery prides itself in providing a space for newcomers to the commercial art world – people whose works have so far gained little exposure.
In its early days, the Saatchi Gallery was visited only by devotees of contemporary art who were hungry to discover new talent. But with the growing appetite for innovative art in recent years, the audience for contemporary artists has significantly expanded, reaching national and international levels. The number of visitors to the Saatchi Gallery has correspondingly increased, with over 1.5 million art-lovers now visiting every year.
In addition to public visitors, the gallery welcomes around 2,000 schools through its doors annually, introducing students of all ages to new art forms displayed in an equally-stimulating environment.
Gallowglass at the Saatchi Gallery:
As with several of London’s other culturally-rich venues, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Battersea Arts Centre, Gallowglass has formed a strong relationship with the Saatchi Gallery. We’ve been providing crews here since 2004. Around 3,250 of our dedicated crewmen have fulfilled essential tasks such as loading and unloading exhibition equipment, setting up sound, AV, staging and lighting, and providing general logistics support during popular exhibitions.
Gallowglass work on an average of 40 projects a year at the Saatchi Gallery; our crewmen play a vital part in bringing to life many of this vibrant venue’s exhibitions. So far, our crews have worked on shows for around 75 different clients, including Chanel, Glamour Beauty Festival, Hermès, London Film Festival, Oxfam, Philips, Salon QP, Starlight Children’s Foundation and Wanderland.
Since many of the displays are shown for a limited period, our crews are regularly required to work within tight time constraints, so these jobs can be high-pressured and short. And with the artworks themselves placed under such scrutiny, our own teams’ attention to detail in setting-up these exhibitions is crucial - both to their reception and consequent success. Even so, we are often told that the reward of catching a sneak preview of some of the world’s freshest contemporary artwork far outweighs the long hours and intensity of the tasks.
Providing crew so regularly for such a rich and varied range of exhibitions, we have come to know and love the Saatchi Gallery, and hope to continue supporting its success for many years to come. If the idea of working inside exciting venues like this has whetted your appetite to find out more about Gallowglass, or you’re in search of event crew jobs in London, why not get in touch with us today?
