Last Thursday, 350 senior figures from the world of property, architecture and art crowded into London’s prestigious Twentytwo Bishopsgate for the annual 10×10 art auction, hosted by Article 25, the humanitarian architecture charity. Now in its 8th year, the auction successfully raised more than £100,000 to support the charity as it seeks to build sustainable infrastructure across the developing world.
Attendees bid in live and silent auctions for more than 130 pieces of art, including 16 from artists based in Yangon, Myanmar, as well as works by the likes of Sir Antony Gormley, Sir David Adjaye OBE, Rana Begum, Zaha Hadid Design, William Turnbull, Kengo Kuma and many others. Particularly notable was Spencer Finch’s Paddington Cloud Study, which sold in the live auction for £12,000.
Dividing London up into a grid of 100 squares, each contributor had been asked to offer a unique view on the changing landscape of the city, drawing inspiration from the Elizabeth Line. Works ranged from incredibly detailed sketches of King’s Cross; resplendent photographs of London’s skyline; watercolour imaginings of Bank station in the future; and three-dimensional sculptures.
One of the most important charity events in the UK property sector, all the funds raised will go to support Article 25 as it designs and constructs sustainable buildings like schools, health clinics and training centres in the developing world.
Patroned by world-renowned architect Sir Norman Foster, Article 25 has worked on more than 85 projects in 34 different countries. Importantly, Article 25’s architects use local workers and building techniques to ensure that projects can be easily maintained and are suited to their conditions, so are better able to survive natural disasters, and build capacity in the local community workforce.
Sunand Prasad, Chairman of Article 25, commented: “The money raised at 10×10 will help Article 25 to work with some of the most vulnerable communities around the world; to rebuild lives and livelihoods, often in the wake of disasters and conflicts.”
“Our approach involves working closely with local people to develop an acute understanding of what’s needed – prevailing conditions, capacity and resources. Then by applying the best principles of architecture and engineering, we design resilient, functional, beautiful and safe places for education, health and living. Through Article 25’s training, we exchange knowledge with local communities and build capability. It’s this combination of local insight, technical expertise, design imagination and persistent hard work that helps us to empower communities out of poverty.”
David Murray, Managing Director of Article 25 said of the event: “It is hugely heart-warming to see the generosity of participating artists who give their time and talent in support of our cause. We’re just as grateful for sponsorship, support and donations we receive from the built environment sector and public, through this important fundraising event. Without this support I am certain that Article 25 would not be the global go-to humanitarian architects we work so hard to be.”