City of London launches new Culture Mile with identity by Pentagram’s Marina Willer
Plans have been announced for the Culture Mile, a new “destination for culture and creativity” in central London. Launched by the City of London Corporation, the plans entail over a decade of development stretching from Farringdon to Moorgate and include major building projects such as the new Museum of London, the proposed Centre for Music and the transformation of Beech Street. It aims to “capitalise on the unique mix of sectors and develop collaboration across the area."
An event schedule has also been published, featuring Morag Myerscough’s Joy and Peace installation which will take over Silk Street from July 2017, and a photographic commission series by KK Outlet on the hoardings of the Museum of London’s new site. These currently display images by Vicky Grout, a leading photographer of the London grime scene, of Londoners who work around the Smithfield area.
An identity for the Culture Mile has been created by Pentagram, led by partner Marina Willer, working with Jane Wentworth Associates (JWA) which is overseeing the initiative’s branding.
The logo design has been inspired by the architectonic grids of the City and will act as a “viewfinder” for the animated content throughout. Typefaces include OCR-CM and New Rail Alphabets, chosen purely for their “simple architectural character.” The goal, the designers explains, is to identity and raise awareness around the diversity of actives and events that will become available in the City, which includes “story-telling to sculpture, from dance to poetry.”
Launching today, the Culture Mile project “will provide a focus for culture today…redefining the City as a global leader in both commerce and culture,” explains Jane Wentworth, founder of JWA
Alongside this, links between venues will be improved with major “enhancements” to the streets and wider public realms. Not only are their plans to “enliven” the locality, expresses the Culture Mile team, but the area will also be regenerated as it expands.
Michael Clark Company: Hugo Glendinning
Barbican Rain Room: photography by Sidd Khajuria
Museum of London: Sackler Hall
Sir Simon Rattle: LSO at the Barbican
Guildhall School: photography by Paul Cochrane
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Ayla is a London-based freelance writer, editor and consultant specialising in art, photography, design and culture. After joining It’s Nice That in 2017 as editorial assistant, she was interim online editor in 2022/2023 and continues to work with us on a freelance basis. She has written for i-D, Dazed, AnOther, WePresent, Port, Elephant and more, and she is also the managing editor of design magazine Anima.