Mexican artist Pilar Enrich was invited to create an art piece as part of an exciting large-scale exhibition in London. The exhibition, which is organised by the leading charity Cancer Research UK, aims to raise funds and awareness for the Francis Crick Institute (www.cruk.org/crick), a world-leading centre of biomedical research and innovation, due to open in 2016.
Pilar Enrich and twenty other prestigious artists and designers, such as Zaha Hadid and Ai WeiWei, will see their DNA inspired sculptures displayed at various locations across the city during ten weeks – with Enrich’s Creativity For Survival proudly standing alongside the lions at the capital’s world-famous and iconic Trafalgar Square. The pieces will be on show across London for ten weeks during most of summer before being auctioned at Christies in September.
As with a number of her pieces, Creativity For Survival has been inspired by Sir Ken Robinson and his philosophies on creativity. Of the sculpture’s conception, Enrich says:
“As an artist I have used a Spirograph in the past to symbolize creativity, the results are often unexpected and yet aesthetic. The Spirograph also awakened in me a realisation that everything is interlinked…maths, science and art.”
Charity work has always featured prominently in Enrich’s life as an artist. She has produced art for a wide range of charities and associations, including the Mexfam Foundation and the Grupo de los Dieciséis auction in Mexico City, as well as the Haitian Art Relief Fund exhibition and the Willow Foundation’s Stars on Canvas exhibition in London.
The Francis Crick Institute will house 1,200 leading scientists from a variety of disciplines working together under one roof to tackle the biggest health challenges faced by humankind – including cancer.
For more information visit www.cruk.co.uk/dnatrail
For further information, please visit www.pilarenrich.com or contact Sam Throssell or Kim Ireland in the Cancer Research UK press office on sam.throssell@cancer.org.uk / 0203 469 8090 or kim.ireland@cancer.org.uk / 0203 469 8586. Out of hours, please call the duty press officer on 07050 264 059.
List of artists/designers and sculpture locations:
1& 2.- Ai WeiWei
Christie’s window, 85 Old Brompton Rd, SW7 3LD
Darren Baker Gallery window, 81 Charlotte Street, W1T 4PP (available early July)
3.- Andrew Logan - Festival Gardens, St Paul's, EC4M 8AD
4.- Aston Martin - Cardinal Place window, 80 Victoria Street, SW1E 5JL (available early July)
5.- Ben Shine - St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Road, NW1 2AR (available early July)
6.- Chris and Xand van Tulleken - Victoria Station, near WH Smith SW1E 5ND
7.- Darren Baker - Trafalgar Square, WC2H 0HE
8.- Guy Portelli - Royal Albert Hall, South Steps, SW7 2AP
9.- Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar - South Kensington Station,Pelham Street, SW7 2NB
10.- Jane Morgan – Coutts window, The Strand,sWC2Ro0QS
11.- Leyla Aliyeva - King's Cross Station, near Leon, N1C 4TB
12.- Mayor of Westminster - Great George Street, outside No. 10, SW1P 3AE
13.- Michael Howells – Top of South Molton Street, Bond Street
14.- Nick Gentry - Barbican Centre, Foyer of Cinema 2 & 3, Beech Street, EC2Y 8DS
15.- Orla Kiely - Dovehouse Green, King's Road, SW3 5UF
16.- Pilar Enrich - Trafalgar Square, WC2H 0HE
17.- Ross Brawn - Peter's Hill, St Paul's, EC4V 5EY
18.- Ted Baker - Broadwick Street, W1F 9PE
19.- Thierry Noir - Duke of York Square, King's Road, SW3 4LY
20.- Tim Ashley - Waterloo Station, outside M&S, SE1 8SW
21.- Zaha Hadid - Somerset House, WC2R 1LA
About The Francis Crick Institute*
The Francis Crick Institute is a world-leading centre of biomedical research and innovation. It will house 1,200 leading scientists from a variety of disciplines working together under one roof to tackle the biggest health challenges faced by humankind. Dedicated to research excellence, the institute will have the scale, vision and expertise to tackle challenging scientific questions underpinning health and disease.
Due for completion in late 2015, The Francis Crick Institute is a visionary collaboration between six of the world’s leading medical research organisations: Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, UCL (University College London), King’s College London and Imperial College London. It will be world-class with a strong national role – training scientists and developing ideas for public good. www.crick.ac.uk
*Please refer to the institute as the Francis Crick Institute initially in all copy. It can be referred to as the Crick after the first mention.
About Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated.
Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates in the UK double in the last forty years.
Today, 2 in 4 people survive cancer. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that 3 in 4 people will survive cancer within the next 20 years.
Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
About Cancer Research UK’s campaign to raise £100m for the Francis Crick Institute
Cancer Research UK is the only one of the six founding partners raising funds philanthropically to complete its contribution to the overall £650m cost to build the Crick
In 2012, Cancer Research UK launched the ‘Create the Change’ campaign which aims to raise £100m towards they charity’s contribution. It is our boldest campaign yet, aiming to engage with philanthropists both in the UK and internationally to make transformational donations towards establishing the new institute
Cancer Research UK has received some extremely generous gifts to date and hopes to inspire even more people to get involved by investing in this building and changing the future of medical research
In June 2015 Cancer Research UK is launching the public phase of the campaign, encouraging people across the country to support the campaign
Visit www.cruk.org/crick to find out how to get involved