Futurecity was appointed by Carrot Developments in 2007 to develop a Public Art Strategy for the St John Street development in Islington. The strategy responded to the site’s high-profile location and the Section 106 requirement to commission a significant new public artwork. Early site analysis identified the west-facing elevation as an exceptional opportunity for an embedded artist intervention, offering long, uninterrupted views along Brewhouse Yard and a rare architectural canvas within central London.

Futurecity established the commissioning objectives, prepared the artist brief and curated a high-profile selection process involving representatives from the Architecture Foundation, Bearspace Gallery and Rolfe Judd. Three artists were shortlisted and invited to develop façade-based proposals exploring the relationship between macro and micro scale, visibility over distance and architectural integration. Paul Morrison’s concept - a monochrome, layered botanical composition embedded into the anodised aluminium façade - was unanimously selected.

The strategy set out the collaboration framework between the artist, architects and design team, detailing technical considerations, material treatments, maintenance requirements and design integration. By appointing the artist at an early design stage, the artwork informed the architectural resolution of the façade itself. The St John Street Public Art Strategy established a clear vision for a highly visible, embedded artwork that would serve as a new cultural marker for Islington.