Watch: artist Shezad Dawood lights up The Gaumont, King’s Road’s creatively focused new hub

The meticulous renovation and revival of The Gaumont, a former cinema and theatre on London’s King’s Road, is an aesthetically and culturally significant moment for the Chelsea community. Under the guidance of experts at Cadogan, the 1930s building has now been reimagined by architects Studio PDP as a new commercial and creative anchor for the famous thoroughfare.

Originally built in the art deco style by architects William E Trent and Ernest F Tully on the site of movie pioneer William Friese-Greene’s studio, the structure has been redeveloped as a ‘creative quarter’, to include a rooftop bar, a cinema, a pub theatre, a record store and an art studio, alongside further retail, office and residential space. Set on The Gaumont’s grand façade, in two parts, flanking the entrance, a major public commission by British multidisciplinary artist Shezad Dawood welcomes visitors to the new, reinvigorated King’s Road hub.

Having been selected by a local panel including members of the Chelsea Arts Club, the V&A, and Royal Society of Sculptors, Dawood created Cascade, comprising two, 6m-high panels of hand-sculpted ceramic work with multicoloured glazes, and serving as the building’s artistic beacon. ‘It reminds us that development isn’t only about new space, but about identity,’ says Hugh Seaborn, CEO of Cadogan. ‘Shezad’s work captures the emotional texture of the area: the cinema, the characters, the creative spirit that’s always defined Chelsea. It is part of a wider revitalisation plan for one of the world’s most famous high streets.’

A ceramic moon is central to the work, with inspiration spanning – as Dawood details in Wallpaper’s short film – from cinema pioneer George Méliès’ 1902 film Trip to the Moon, distributed by The Gaumont, to local hero Vivienne Westwood (who first opened a shop with Malcolm McLaren on King’s Road in 1971), whose brand logo incorporates an orb.

‘The tiles on the artwork are relief-sculpted. So they have a sort of a two-dimensionality, and then a three-dimensionality,’ adds Dawood. While the work evokes the trajectory of the moon, ‘in the daytime, as the sun travels through the arc of the sky, over the theatre, the artwork behaves like an organic sundial,’ he adds, describing an ever-changing dance of shadows.

‘Cascade lights up the restored historic façade of The Gaumont and eloquently celebrates so much of the King’s Road’s rich heritage and the icons associated with it,’ adds Seaborn. ‘When we envisioned The Gaumont, we knew it had to […] feel rooted in the cultural legacy of the King’s Road and speak to the people who live, work and walk along this road every day.’

Londoner Dawood feels a deep connection to the King's Road artery, the Chelsea locale and the theatre itself. As a kid he remembers seeing the 1954 Japanese epic Seven Samurai with his father at the (former) Chelsea Cinema and also, later, a stint working at a King’s Road bookstore ‘Then there is the broader cultural importance of the area – as a home to various artists, writers and filmmakers – all of which informed my research,’ he says. ‘As an artist who works across painting, ceramics and film, I am so excited to unveil an artwork that draws on all of these disciplines for the façade of such an iconic building that was also a key part of my early cinematic and cultural education.’

For more on The Gaumont, see cadogan.co.uk