Intriguing request sees Williams Refrigeration of King’s Lynn lend Multideck for art project
Ever thought about machines as living entities? Artist Evie Harrison’s project explored the theme of industrial and machine evolution, imagining a space where the mechanical comes alive, and then dies. She cast 1:1 replicas of machine parts in agar, displaying the sculptures in various stages of decay. The big challenge was preserving the fragile agar pieces, throughout a two week exhibition. And that’s when she contacted King’s Lynn-based Williams Refrigeration.
Evie needed a refrigerated solution but, just like in foodservice or pharmaceutical applications, reliability was crucial, and she had to have equipment engineered to meet the highest demands. What’s more, it had to look good, or rather, very good – this was for Evie’s fine art degree show at Goldsmith’s College, London. The event is renowned for showcasing the exceptional talent of graduate artists and attracts a large number of visitors.
Williams lent Evie an open-display Multideck R100 unit with a sleek stainless steel finish. The stylish, slimline grab and go merchandiser turned out to be the perfect solution for Evie’s dilemma.
“The Multideck was excellent,” Evie says. “It kept the agar at a consistent temperature, despite the fluctuations in weather and crowds, throughout the exhibition. Just as importantly, the stainless steel finish of the multideck, with its mirrored interior, was perfect for displaying and amplifying the impact of the sculptures. Having the language of the industrial machines with all their stainless steel and LED lighting made the sculptures really arresting, capturing the storytelling element that I wanted.”
Tom Middleton, commercial and customer service manager at Williams, was Evie’s contact at the company. “We were all thoroughly intrigued by her request,” he says “We get asked for all sorts of specialist equipment and applications, on a daily basis, but I reckon this one was unique!
“After talking to Evie I recommended the Multideck, because it offers excellent visibility and delivers the consistent, reliable performance she needed, even in demanding environments like exhibitions. Once everything was agreed, we ensured logistics and delivery ran smoothly and within deadlines, so Evie could concentrate on her art.”
The display proved a great success, with visitors drawn in by the sculptures’ intriguing forms. “The support by Williams totally elevated the finish of my artwork,” says Evie. “I could not have produced such a sleek, professional outcome without using the Multideck.”