The Big Reveal

Wed 04 Jun, 2014

Merrion Centre unveils winning piece of commemorative art work

Over the last eight weeks, the YEP, along with the Merrion Centre, has been searching the county for the next budding Picasso. People were invited to create a commemorative piece of artwork in celebration of the Merrion Centre’s 50th birthday.

Scouring the region, the competition hunted for aspiring artists who were able to capture the spirit of Leeds and the Merrion Centre in an art masterpiece. The grand unveiling took place on Monday which was the 50th anniversary of the Centre, and Krystyna Spink was crowned winner and awarded £1000 cash as well as the honour of seeing her work framed in the Centre.

Krystyna, who also celebrated her 50th birthday earlier this year, created an acrylic painting on canvas which features the Merrion Centre clock perched on top of an Emett machine flying above the city of Leeds.

Krystyna, who has four children and lives in Crossgates, comments; “My inspiration came from my children. I always used to take them to see the clock in the Merrion City and when it went away I told them a fairy tale story about it flying off and disappearing!

“It was my Aunt who encouraged me to enter the competition, unfortunately I was ill on my 50th birthday in March so didn’t get chance to celebrate and my Aunt sent me a birthday card with the newspaper competition clipping inside and suggested I enter. I never thought I would win; it’s such an honour. I’ve lived in Leeds my entire life and as a teenager would visit the Merrion Centre with friends after school and when I became a mother I often took my children there. I love Leeds and everything it has to offer, in my eyes it’s the London of the North and we should celebrate our wonderful city more.”

The judging panel consisted of Edward Ziff, Chairman and Chief Executive of Town Centre Securities PLC, Dr Marjorie Ziff, MBE, and independent art critic, Rob Dutton, Rob states, “It was a real honour to be selected as part of the judging panel for this prestigious event. As a professional artist (and an award winner myself) is was great to see how other artists responded in several different ways to this important centenary competition. For me the winning piece provided a very modern approach in both concept and application depicting a real whimsical and very different take on the brief. I particularly liked the way in which the artist thought about both the past and the future with her idea and it was fun, bright and uplifting too!

Following on from the 50th celebrations, a 1960s exhibition is now in the main mall of the Centre for the next two weeks. The exhibition showcases life from the 60s including the cost of food and drink along with archaic images of the City and the shopping centre.

Edward Ziff concludes; “We’d like to thank everyone who entered our competition, the standard of the entries and imagination displayed was outstanding. Krystyna really captured the heart of the Merrion Centre and we’re delighted to host her artwork. My father had a close relationship with Rowland Emett, creator of the Emett machine and Krystyna really understood the magical essence of those machines. Her artwork struck a real chord as we’re looking forward to welcoming the Emetts back into the Centre in October.”