Interior architect Alyssa Poppat (who I had the pleasure of meeting and working with in 2021 at Nairobi Street Kitchen) approached me in 2023 to create an artwork for the new branch of Spring Valley Coffee shop in Lavington. This was a dream project, not only because I had freedom to do whatever I wanted (as long as it was in the SVC colours) and because I was an almost daily customer of SVC! This type of alignment drew inspiration quickly and I really enjoyed creating these two pieces, something I had never done before at this scale. Working with Ritesh (owner of SVC) was a pleasure and I have also enjoyed seeing the expansion of the project as the artwork was put on postcards and gift coupons. Its also been great seeing the artwork in the UK Spring Valley Coffee shop in Convent Garden.
The two artworks are called Pollinator and Brewscape
Pollinator
Inspired by the pollination process, the focal point is a sun bird pollinating a coffee flower. Today, pollinators are dying at high rates due to habitat loss and the increased use of chemicals in our flora. I wanted to highlight the symbiotic relationship between the pollinator and the delicious coffee we all love, whilst offering gratitude to the process.
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Brewscape
Inspired by the thought of a Chemex as a coffee flower pot, the idea grew into a landscape of various brewing vessels integrated and planted with coffee beans and flowers. A fantasy land for coffee lovers and an ode to the techniques that makes present this ancient bean that originated in Africa. July 2023