Chatham Pumping Station | Nicole Mollett & Jose Den Hartog
20m hand-painted ceramic tile mural
Project timeline: March 2024 – March 2025
The artists Nicole Mollett & José Den Hartog are going to create a large ceramic tile mural for the front façade of the 1970’s Pumping Station which draws a multi-layered history of water and the importance it plays in peoples’ lives specifically in Chatham and Medway. The work will feature maritime history, river ecology, waterworks engineering, and the way the river is an intrinsic part of the landscape and the local identity.
The artists aim to reflect peoples’ relationship with water both on a macro and micro level and drawing on research from the Medway Archives, Greenwich Maritime Museum and Historic Dockyard Chatham.
José and Nicole ran a series of floating ink workshops on the 8th & 9th June, as part of Medway Print Festival 2024. Over 76 people took part and alongside the workshop participants were invited to offer suggestions of local memories, maritime features and important historic events the artists should include on the public artwork. For current news on the project head to the artists’ Instagram pages.
This project is supported by the Dutch Embassy UK.
This project is commissioned by Medway Development Company, and is project managed by Public Art Consultants FrancisKnight.
The Artists
Jose and Nicole have collaborated together since 2007, and have a shared passion for making artwork which is inspired by archival imagery, bringing together communities, creating a new sense of understanding of place.
Nicole Mollett is a socially engaged public artist who has delivered multiple projects across Kent, including recently delivering the Six Women public art commission which took place in Gillingham in 2022.
José Den Hartog is a Dutch ceramicist with many years’ experience developing architectural public art commissions.