Commerical Projects

 
Artwork for Restaurant in Four Seasons Macao (2020)
Ohte Ramen is located in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Macao and was newly opened in early 2021. Greeting guests at the entrance, just behind the service counter, is Deborah’s artwork. Measuring a towering 102 x 45 inches ( 259 x 114 cm), the artwork was inspired by the vibrant artistry of the Edo era. The artwork employs various surface techniques in Deborah’s arsenal - Gold Leafing, Foiling, Flocking and Fabric Applique using fabric specially ordered from Japan. 

Deborah’s comments: In Macau, a beautiful Ramen Bar was being constructed. The client wanted a statement piece that welcomed customers as they walked into the restaurant. This large 2.6m artwork was to be installed behind the welcome desk where the restaurant's hostess would stand. The ramen noodle restaurant was designed to be bursting with life and playful energy, yet it was still elegantly suited to its five-star status. On the ceiling, a long playful golden noodle design could be viewed. These noodle strands are symbolic motifs representing long life. With this in mind, we also incorporated the longevity noodles into the artwork design. Inspired by the rich cultural heritage of Japan, we included many motifs and symbols to tell this story. An elegant crane, which is a bird that often graces beautiful kimonos, formed the focal point of our artwork. The crane’s head then morphed into large blue waves, our translation of the famous Japanese artwork – “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”. Flowing down from the waves, golden noodle-like lines were added. A gold-leafed pine tree formed that backdrop behind the crane, symbolising longevity & health. Traditional kimono-style fabric was flown in from Japan. This fabric was then carefully cut and incorporated into the artwork design. It was because of this highly textured mixed media approach as well as our ability to research and create a bespoke design, that we were approached by the client. Looking back, the whole process of creating this artwork was challenging, but highly rewarding. We are looking forward to working on corporate projects in the future that also take the studio to new levels of creativity.

 
Artworks for Restaurant in Venetian Macao (2020)
Jiang Nan by Jereme Leung is a Chinese restaurant in the Venetian Macao, specialising in authentic Jiangnan cuisine (Shanghai, Jiangsu & Zhejiang).

For this project, Deborah created 2 sets of bespoke artworks: 4 glass panels (for the restaurant interior) and 2 velvet panels (for the restaurant exterior)

Deborah’s comments:

Part One - Glass Artworks

Today, we’re looking back at a corporate project that we worked on together with a glass design company and the art advisors who commissioned us to work for their client. Their client was the Venetian casino found in Macau. It was here that a beautiful Shanghainese Restaurant was being developed. The style of the restaurant was to be inspired by old- world Shanghai glamour. It was to embody the spirit of the Shikumen Alleyway, which was made up of art deco style architecture. A bespoke design as a chinoiserie scene was requested.

Once inside the Shanghainese-Style restaurant, customers are taken on a journey. Dimly lit lights take one down an old Shikumen alleyway, imagining you are walking by the soft evening light. The main dining hall is made up of many beautiful textures such as emerald velvets, peacock green glass and brass trimmings.

For this space, we were commissioned to create artworks out of glass & fabric. The requirement for these glass pieces was that they would be semi-translucent, and the gold design on them needed to be viewed from both the front and back. This was quite a challenge, but after much experimentation, we were able to meet the clients’ requests.

Sheer peacock green fabric was fussed in-between two large panels of glass. On the glass itself, we used a special golden ink to print the customised Shanghainese Chinoiserie design that we had created.

The result was four large glass artworks that were fitted into the restaurant walls to create little windows that also functioned as dividing screens, creating intimate spaces between dinners. So, if you ever find yourself in Macau, you know where you can go to eat food prepared by a famous chef: Jereme Leung, whilst you admire the artworks that surround you in this Shanghainese-style restaurant. 

Part Two – Velvet Panels

We were most excited to have the opportunity to be commissioned to work on artworks in both the exterior and interior of this luxurious restaurant in the Venetian, Macau. The exterior walls were made of plush velvet panels, stretching over a 6m facade. The large restaurant had two entrances, so a dramatic red textile artwork was used at one end and a restful blue at the other.

In the Talking Textiles studio, we added a further layer of metallics and ink to further enhance the design. A customised design of the famous Yu Gardens in Shanghai was created. A romantic pagoda and a Chinese dragon were hand-drawn and then translated into large silkscreen blocks that were then used to print & transfer these motifs onto the cloth. The result was these highly textured artworks, creating a showpiece to draw customers into the restaurant.