Jenny Steele
Jenny Steele is a Scottish artist based in Manchester whose work references coastal inter-war architecture and design. Jenny is interested in the permanence of architecture, and in particular how inter-war period design embodied a utopian hope for the future. In the coastal context she sometimes refers to this style as Seaside Moderne – where modernism and Art Deco coalesce in architecture of pleasure and leisure. 'The Sea Front' is a bespoke carpet in the main entrance, stairs, and upper corridors of Art B&B. It features motifs from the exterior and interior of Blackpool Casino and Pleasure Beach’s iconic red wheel, the Winter Gardens’ exterior half-moon windows and the Tower Ballroom’s stage steps. They form a semi-abstract repeat patterned Axminster carpet, manufactured by North of England-based carpet Gaskell & McKay, who Steele worked closely with to interpret the design.
ArtB&B Artwork
The Sea Front Carpet
The Sea Front' is a bespoke carpet in the main entrance stair, and upper corridors of ART B&B. It responds to in-depth research undertaken by Jenny Steele into the pleasure architecture constructed along Blackpool seafront over the last 150 years to provide spaces of rest and relaxation for visitors to the town. Jenny has selected motifs from the exterior and interior of the following pleasure architecture: Blackpool Casino and Pleasure Beach - iconic red wheel; The Winter Gardens Foyer - exterior half-moon windows; and The Tower Ballroom stage steps. These celebratory symbols of Blackpool's architecture have been created into a semi-abstract repeat pattern for the Art B&B interior by North of England based carpet manufacturer, Gaskell & McKay, who Jenny worked closely with to interpret the design into a unique Axminster Carpet.
Read an interview with Jenny Steele about Seaside Moderne here.
