Good morning, readers! I've finally ventured out and just returned from Mayfair in London where I visited Lucy Sparrow's Bourdon Street Chemist, which is a chemist (pharmacy) with items created out of felt. Seven years ago, I attended Lucy Sparrow's Knitted Cornershop near Columbia Road in east London, and you can read about my visit here: Lucy Sparrow's Cornershop in London. This was her first ever exhibition, and I visited it three days after it first opened and placed an order of a Coca Cola and Hobnobs, both of which would arrive a few months later since the gallery was for "eyes only".
The next big venture by the artist was to take the knitted cornershop idea to New York City in summer of 2017 as a 'convenience store' (since the term 'cornershop' is not used there). I had nearly purchased a couple of my favourite American products in felt, but money was tight as I needed the money for my renovation.
I had booked my ticket in advance to visit the knitted chemist. After giving my details, I had a squirt of hand sanitizer provided in the felt container with felt sign. There were about fifteen people in the gallery, making it slightly uncomfortable for visiting, and I would have felt better if the numbers had been limited.
The shelves, signage, and products were all made from felt. Unlike the original 'Cornershop', visitors could touch the items and purchase them there.
The chemist is complete with advertisments over the audio system and a "chemist" medicinal smell to complete the experience. Visitors can find items grouped by category with a few prescription items (such as Prozac) behind the counter.
One little area made of felt was the make-up stand featuring a well-known brand that often has a kiosk in pharmacies. There were all types of make-up items constructed out of felt: lipstick, blushers, foundations, nail polish, eye shadow, liners, etc.
There are two main rooms and then a small area joined between them with the make-up. The back room had a small consultation area with felt chairs, felt tulips, and felt sweets in a dish. There were even posters, cards, and pamphlets created from felt.
In addition to the products and signage made of felt, I saw a human diagram made of felt and a skeleton made of felt.
One of my favourite sections was the perfume area as all of the little bottles of perfume look great. The brands were all easily-recognisable.
I settled on purchasing a small tin of Vaseline and a bottle of Carex hand soap, which you can see photographed below. The Coca Cola and HobNobs are from "The Cornershop" visit in 2014. After purchasing the items, you are given the items in a prescription-style receipt, and the items are handed over in a blue NHS medicine paper bag. The "NFS" is referenced in the gallery/shop and stands for "National Felt Service", the name of her brand. They are set up in a decommissioned ambulance garage. The project helps to highlight the importance of the chemist in our lives and particularly during the past year.
After exiting the shop, I noticed more items in the windows.
That brings my visit to a close. For more Lucy Sparrow exhibitions on this blog, see:
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