Latest Projects and Print Shop Reopening

Author

James Cook
June 12, 2024

TIME LIMITED PRINT DROP

 ~ A Message from the Artist

Hi all!

Firstly, some good news! My online shop will fully reopen on Wednesday, June 19th 12:00pm mid day UK time. There will be five original artworks available, along with a collection of my most requested limited edition prints, including the NYC 400, Arc de Triomphe, Chrysler Building, and Empire State Building—just to name a few. Those who have subscribed to my mailing list will have access. The shop will open to the public the following day. We will be sending a follow-up email next Wednesday with a link to access the online shop early.

If you haven’t seen it already, I just posted on Instagram my latest project in collaboration with London’s Battersea Power Station. This was an incredible opportunity to scale a chimney at one of London’s most iconic landmarks and gain exclusive access to create a drawing from the very top with my 1930s Underwood typewriter.

A massive thanks to everyone who purchased the St Pancras and King’s Cross artwork from my recent print drop. Just a heads up: this print will no longer be available after Thursday, June 13th at 12:00 PM and there are less than 24 hours left to grab one of the limited edition prints out of 400.

As a member of my mailing list, you get exclusive behind-the-scenes information about my projects, and Battersea is no exception! Read on below for more about my experience working with the Lift 109 Experience.

James Cook | Typewriter Artist

Battersea Power Station | An Experience I Shall Never Forget with the Lift 109 Experience

In February, I was contacted by the Lift 109 Experience, who expressed interest in collaborating with me to create a drawing at Battersea Power Station. They had seen my recent post of Battersea's exterior, which paid homage to the Pink Floyd album artwork "Animals." Inspired by this project, they saw an opportunity to create something entirely new and original at one of London's newest observation decks.

Since then, we have had numerous meetings and discussions to bring this project to life. We had to block out an entire afternoon in a busy schedule of pre-booked observation tours so that I could go up the lift and create what you see published today. I brought along my 1930s typewriter, and unofficially, I was told by their management that if there were a record for the longest amount of time spent at the top of Battersea Power Station, it would go to me. Surprisingly, when you only have two hours to shoot a video, that time flies by very quickly. While the video was a success, I didn’t get much of an opportunity to appreciate the amazing panoramic views of the London skyline.

Transporting a 1930s typewriter to Battersea Power Station was an interesting experience, to say the least. This particular machine weighs around 15-20 kg (the same as a very large suitcase), and without a suitcase to carry it in, I used my faithful camping trolley. This turned many heads as I wheeled it around Battersea.

Overall, the artwork took three weeks to type. I made a site visit to Battersea back in February with the Lift 109 team to take photos and work out the specific subject for the artwork. I wanted to create anamorphic perspective artwork featuring both Battersea and the surrounding panoramic scenes. As no such view of Battersea existed in photographs, I used their 1:500 scale model downstairs as a reference and was able to capture some aerial photos.

We are planning to sell the artwork in Battersea's official store. While this may take some time to set up, I will be selling a limited edition of 400 prints in my online shop. The good news is that because you are part of my mailing list, you will have early access to the shop one day before the rest of the general public. To view the video of this latest project, click on Instagram link below.