To celebrate the company’s 75th anniversary, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has launched “The Elegance of Worldliness” art installation at the InterContinental London Park Lane in collaboration with British artist Claire Luxton. The installation is meant to celebrate travel, wanderlust and time, all inspired by InterContinental destinations around the world.
Luxton—a contemporary multidisciplinary artist, working with photography, installation, poetry and painting—installed large-scale physical and digital artwork on the façade of the hotel, representing some of the destinations where the InterContinental brand has established a presence in its 75-year history. The projection covers 20 meters and the window installation covers 40 meters.
Birds, butterflies and botanicals that are native to distinct parts of the world are woven into natural, intertwining greenery. Motifs include a large South American parrot, the blue and yellow macaw, representing Brazil (where the first InterContinental hotel opened in Belem) and a North American corn lily plant, also known as Indian basket grass, paying tribute to the InterContinental The Willard in Washington, D.C., where Martin Luther King Jr. made the final touches to his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. The installation’s bird-of-paradise flower, honoring Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom, highlights the royal significance of InterContinental London Park Lane, the location (formerly 145 Piccadilly) where Queen Elizabeth spent much of her childhood.
“Claire Luxton’s modern and energetic work brings to life the delight of discovering beautiful places and the elegance of the InterContinental brand,” said Tom Rowntree, VP of global luxury brands at IHG Hotels & Resorts. “We’re delighted to partner with Claire for this art installation, with many more exciting plans in the works for 2022.”
Aspects of Luxton's work will also be available through an interactive social media filter, available through her Instagram and QR codes on the window installation.