Was another day at Dean Street Townhouse in Soho. Summertime in the city, not too busy. I was in a pretty good mood, which was always helpful at that job. A chilled morning allowed me to do one thing at a time and tend better to the guests. I always felt good when it was like that. A quiet hum of uplifting energy. Sunlight rolling in and a sense of possibility threaded throughout. Whilst in my daze of optimism, the phone rings. Slightly annoyed at the interruption of peace I snap back to work mode; “Good morning, Dean Street Townhouse, Lindsay speaking how can I help?”… “Oh hello, I’d like to make a booking for my boss please?”… “Why yes of course” I replied. “What’s the name you’d like to reserve under?” “Theaster”. “Okay thank you, and the first name please?” “No, that is the first name. The surname is Gates”. “Oh! My apologies, it’s a very unique and cool name, I must say!” Slightly embarrassed I thought to myself, ‘Should I know who this is?’ Probably, oh well..one more person to learn about! The woman on the line agreed with me on the name in an awkward but polite way and hung up the phone. By this point a few people had walked in and were waiting for me to assist them at the door so I went about my front desk duties. Seven o’clock the next morning rolls around and I’m back at the front desk again. An equally bright and beautiful sunny sky outside. The J.O.B (as I called it) at Dean Street always felt so repetitive it would do my head in, but the perk of working there was when I found myself in surprisingly deep conversations or light comedic banter with anyone willing to laugh at my jokes. I met some phenomenal people this way and felt that the job, although not satisfying on a career level or what I really wanted to be doing was a gateway to really understanding London and my potential in it. It’s incredibly inspiring to be in a city that is an epicentre for so many creative, dedicated, and accomplished souls. All walks of life come together in a smorgasbord of culture and ideas. It’s mind blowing. London is what I like to call a Starburst City, and it’s one of the reasons why I love it so much.
Back to my story.. A lot of people travelling would stay at the DSTH hotel next door and be up insanely early, jet lagged and seeking a quiet refuge to have some breakfast and coffee. On this particular morning, a very kind looking gentlemen comes in says hello and asks for a spot for one for breakfast. I notice his subdued American accent. “Yes of course, come right this way.” As usual, I make chit chat on the way to the table, craving connection with like minded souls to escape the mindlessness of the job. This guy seemed super interesting and I was curious. I always had a feeling with certain people, and he was one of them. I wanted to ask so many questions but would have to keep my cool.. I was, after all at work. He sits down at the table in the parlour area and we continue to chat. I am aware of my being “away from the desk” but don’t really care. I didn’t take the job to learn how to be a receptionist at Soho House, I took it for experiences like this!
The kind gentleman asks me where I’m from and we enjoy a good banter about Calgary life and moving to London. We talk about Chicago, his hometown, and I mention how much I love the Art Institute there and tell him about how friendly everyone was on my last visit there. He smiles and introduces himself, “Theaster” he says. “Oh my gosh” I said. “Your assistant called and you have an actual booking today at 9:30!” He smiled. “Yes, that’s right” he said. “I will join them once they arrive. Thanks so much Lindsay.” Chuffed, I go back to the desk and like clockwork Google my new ‘friend’ Theaster. As the results load I shake my ahead in bemusement as I discover he is a very accomplished artist. No wonder we got on. He was in town for his Black Chapel installation that was being presented with the Serpentine Gallery. I was running past it already, but as it wasn’t directly on my run route I hadn’t properly gone to take a look.
From the outside the chapel is quite striking, humble yet fierce with its tall brooding black beams, and perfect shadows. It feels very welcoming with its intelligent use of materials and colour. My favourite feature was the oculus, which in Theaster’s words, ‘allowed light and nature in, creating a relationship between the things that happen on earth and the things that happen above the earth.’ The seven paintings on the inside of the chapel were inspired by Theaster’s father’s career in roofing. ‘They are a salute to history of labour in the ways of which labour is a beautiful spiritual way of transmitting energy.’ So eloquently said. I had never thought about labour in this way but watching this short five minute video on the Serpentine’s website was very helpful in understanding the project.
‘What I needed was simple; Space that wasn’t flamboyant, that in a way could disappear, but in disappearing it also felt grand. The volume of this chapel is a big part of that. It’s height, it’s roundness. I wanted to pay homage to the ceramic industry and the bottle kilns of Stoke-on-Trent.’ Black Chapel for me has unified parts of my practice that have seen disparity. When you build the right vessel it unifies that interest in ceramics, the spiritual, the built environment. ‘Source: https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/serpentine-pavilion-2022-black-chapel-by-theaster-gates/
LW
