Local artist mixes it up at student apartments
A SHEFFIELD painter has paid homage to the former Gatecrasher nightclub with a mural that honours the sites iconic musical heritage.
Neil Antcliff, from Walkley, has produced a giant nightclub-themed painting, which depicts a female DJ, inside the brand new Gatecrasher Apartments.
The specially commissioned artwork is located in the communal area within the student complex which is on the site of the former Gatecrasher nightclub at the corner of Arundel Street and Matilda Street.
The artist who works under the name Foundry said: “I was approached to work on the piece and provided with some rough ideas for the mural. From there, I came up with a series of designs and the DJ was chosen to be the feature piece to reflect the history of the site.
“I’ve painted the mural in negative colours so that’s what the students see when they arrive. There is also vinyl on the windows so when the sun shines through the windows and hits the painting, it is reflected in its positive form on the wall.
“I wanted to do something that was a little different while still capturing the essence of the former Gatecrasher nightclub.
“It’s good to see development in the area, particularly using some of the abandoned buildings that have been left unused for years. Sheffield is a big university city and you see a lot of different cultures coming here to study.”
The image is the second music-themed design to be unveiled at Gatecrasher Apartments after architects revealed the internal courtyard which has been landscaped into a record turntable as a reminder of the sites previous function as a popular nightclub.
Gatecrasher Apartments is part of the West One accommodation portfolio that already embraces student flats in the award-winning Sellers Wheel, Huttons Buildings and Broomgrove Apartments, as well as the West One residential, leisure and commercial development in Fitzwilliam Street.
Head of residential at West One Andrea Marsden said: “Neil has done a fantastic job on the mural inside Gatecrasher Apartments. It was really important to us that we honoured the history of the site and Neil has captured that perfectly.”
The £12m high-end student apartments will house 240 students, providing clusters of three, four and five beds, all en-suite. Also included in the communal area of the apartments is a gym, cinema room, games room, mezzanine study area and a lounge.
