West Pier Willow Pattern
In Autumn 2023 I created a design for the West Pier Trust in Brighton. Please read below the official presentation article issued by the West Pier Trust the 30th of November 2023.
West Pier Trust presentation of design West Pier Willow Pattern
Article by Nick Szczepanik.
The tea towel is an exclusive design by our artist-in-residence, architect and printmaker Alej ez, who can be found at the West Pier Centre on Thursdays.
“Idea number one was to do something that didn’t look corporate and number two was to do something fun as well,” he told the Trust newsletter. “Whether we achieved it or not is another thing!
“As tea towels are for the kitchen, then let’s do a little playing with imagery of kitchens. And knowing that the West Pier is a Victorian structure, let’s look at the pattern, which is typically British.
“We looked at the willow pattern and in the same way you can do a transfer of a design onto ceramics, I thought we could do a transfer of one of my images into a ceramic pattern, like the willow pattern.
“We were aiming to do a screen print but in the end it was digitally printed. It is just one colour, blue, but that is the colour of the willow pattern. The main thing, I think, is the concept of the transfer of a design into a historic pattern and its use in a kitchen. It’s a kitchen thing.”
Growing up in southern Spain and training in Seville, he had no knowledge of the British love of the tea towel as a souvenir of all venues and for all occasions.
“Tea towels? You don’t get them in Europe.” He said. “They are like greeting cards, in a way. Greeting cards and tea towels are typically British. As an artist in residence I was drawing the willow pattern at the West Pier centre, every Thursday until it got too cold and there were not too many visitors.”
The West Pier Trust created the position of artist in residence in April 2021. Since then artist alej ez has fulfilled this role. Alej ez opens the West Pier Centre to greet visitors and also works in the Centre with the creation of new art pieces.
Alej ez is an architect and artist living and working in Brighton since 2007. He was born in Granada Spain and moved to the UK in 2000. Alej ez mainly works with ink and digital media. His work has a personal calligraphic quality. He is known for his large format panoramic prints of cities, the countryside and the coast. www.alejez.com
West Pier Willow Pattern, Swimmer, Kiosk and Cormorant
I worked together with Rachel Clark, The West Pier Trust Chief Executive to make this project happen. The selection of concept ideas narrowed the selection of options to two main designs. The final chosen one was the single standing image of the remains of the West Pier.I kept the the second design as it is an elaborate and complex solution with lots of story telling elements like a diving swimmer, a West Pier kiosk and a cormorant.
The font shown is my own creation and echoes early Victorian ceramic transfers designs.
West Pier Willow Pattern: tea towel, art print and greeting card
These are the gifts and goods that were finally created and are available to purchase from the West Pier Trust and my web.
Tea Towel
‘West Pier Willow Pattern’
71 x 46 cm
Limited edition digital pigment print by alej ez
‘West Pier Willow Pattern’
21 x 29.7 cm standard A4 size
Greeting card
‘West Pier Willow Pattern’
10.5 x 14.8 cm standard A6 size
Limited edition digital pigment print by alej ez
‘West Pier Willow Pattern, Swimmer, Kiosk and Cormorant’
21 x 29.7 cm standard A4 size
Greeting card
‘West Pier Willow Pattern Swimmer, Kiosk and Cormorant’
10.5 x 14.8 cm standard A6 size
