Simon Pemberton
London Philharmonic Orchestra Season Campaign 2023

These five illustrations were commisioned to promote the new music season at the South Bank Centre in London. The theme was “A Place to Call Home” which explored the issues of inclusion, exclusion, belonging and displacement.

The illustrations were created using watercolour, inks, acrylic and found media for drawing.

Ning Gao
A Piece Of Red Cloth

This cover illustration is Ning’s take on depicting the soul of Beijing, the birth place of China’s rock music.

It’s inspired by the iconic Beijing-born rock musician Cui Jian’s best known song “A Piece of Red Cloth”, which was written in late 1980s, and soon became an enlightenment of that generation.

It’s also tribute to all local artists who reflect on the times, and take the courage to speak out.

Xavier Mula
Dancing With A Saxophone

This animated artwork explores movement of the human body and also use of colour.

After making a series of prints for sale with this illustration, Xavier thought it would be interesting to bring it to life and animate it.

Movement and colour flow through the illustration, like an explosion or waterfall of colour. The animation is by Marc Sarret.

Princess Hidir
Cosmic Planta EP

The Cosmic Planta” project was born from a collaboration between Princess Hıdır and Musician Ozoyo. The idea grew from their shared passion for nature and a desire to create a project that would showcase its beauty while also raising awareness of the harm being done to the environment.

Xiran Luo
The Sound Travels Halfway

This ethereal illustration was created for an article about a Chinese artist, Ge Yi, who tried to bridge the gap between healthy-hearing people and those with hearing impairment.

Joel Bower
Time For Coltrane

This exploration piece is an organic digital technique discovery—meaning that no formal sketch was used as the foundation.

The goal of the image is to show Coltrane’s pathos and dedication to his craft.

Wendy Li
Take Me Somewhere

This project is a set of RISO posters created to promote classical music concerts. These concerts took the audience to a different world with music during the pandemic.

The illustrations were inspired by both the repertoire of the concert as they depict different places in different times, as well as the architecture of the concert hall.

The choice of RISO aims to convey the nuanced differences in each live performances.