Aleppo at King's Cross

Aleppo at King’s Cross is a permanent commission for the Tapestry Building at King’s Cross N1C, designed by Niall McLaughlin Architects and completed in 2016.The work is a monumental ‘wall sculpture’ in pale pink, white and dark purples with a distinctive geometric form carved into six symmetrical panels. Tess Jaray’s focus on pattern and her ongoing exploration of geometric abstraction have been at the core of her practice throughout her life, whether making large scale works for the public realm or smaller works for domestic or gallery-based situations. This commitment to and development of abstract imagery has a clear parallel with architectural principles deployed in the creation of the Tapestry Building. The external facades display reference to Erwin Hauer’s twentieth century’ explorations of infinite continuous surfaces, and there are distilled versions of a Assyrian carpet pattern and Egyptian papyrus motif sourced from the highly influential The Grammar of Ornament (1856), a seminal design sourcebook by the architect and design theorist Owen Jones.

The synergy between the preoccupations that guide Jaray’s practice and the design elements present in the Tapestry Building is key to the way the new work occupies the lobby space for which it was conceived. Drawing on experience from her studio-based practice and her public commissions, and in combination with her understanding of specific contexts, Jaray has made a bold work with the potential to intrigue residents and passers-by. As an artist who has lived locally for decades, witnessing the dramatic development of the King’s Cross N1C area, it is fitting that she has created a new work as one of the first commissions for The King’s Cross Project.

Tess Jaray on Aleppo at King’s Cross
‘A few years ago, just before the war broke out, I was lucky enough to visit Syria. I fell in love with the country and the people, and particularly with Aleppo, with its Citadel, mosques and huge souk. This new work is part of a series inspired by that visit and is based on the architecture of some of the mosques in the city. Many of them were built with a lintel above the main entrance made of alternating, carved stripes of a very dark basalt and a light, almost pale pink, sandstone. The lintel was a very particular and very enchanting feature of the city.

‘When I was commissioned to make a work for the Tapestry Building, it seemed an opportunity to expand ideas that had previously been restricted by size, and produce a work – which I now see as wall sculpture rather than just as installation – with the sense of elevation I was seeking. My painting has never been political but this is a tribute, in my own way, to the passing of old Aleppo.’

About the artist
Tess Jaray lives and works in London, near King’s Cross. Over a long and distinguished career, Tess Jaray has made many art works that engage millions of people as they go about their everyday lives. Predominantly in the form of pavings, they include the terrazzo floor at Victoria station in London, the ornate brickwork of Centenary Square in Birmingham, and, further afield, granite diagonals on the forecourt of the British Embassy in Moscow. Jaray’s contributions to public spaces are an integral part of a practice that ranges across formats and media including painting, printmaking, and drawing, as well as writing. She is also acknowledged as an influential educator. She was the first woman to hold a lecturer post at the Slade School of Fine Art, in London and she continues to be an inspiration and mentor to younger generations of artists.