Abstractfloral Mural No. 1 by Petra Börner

London-based Petra Börner has created the signature artwork at Reception, welcoming guests from the grand entrance. The bespoke, bas-relief artwork is inspired by the novel The Secret Garden and showcases the brand mark in a unique, gestural style. The delicate carvings and botanical references remind us of nature’s ever-changing beauty. Abstractfloral Mural No. 1 is a unique artwork designed by Petra Börner and realised in collaboration with Helen Johannessen at Cockpit Studios Bloomsbury, London.

Petra Börner often returns to themes of the natural world in her work; its dynamic energy, power and flow are also the inspiration for this new mural. Ever drawn to the line, she explores her bold, visual language moving between materials in her practice, including work with plaster and clay.

The floral sculpted relief detail was scaled up from Petra’s drawings and hand worked into plaster canvases fabricated by Helen. The mural was conceived as a triptych, allowing the artwork to take on both scale and movement while retaining an extraordinary sense of lightness. Shaped and poured by hand, the plaster canvases demanded exceptional skill and craftsmanship, resulting in a work that feels at once monumental and effortlessly suspended, carrying with it the natural flow of Börner’s line.

Petra carved the design using a variety of modelling and sculpting tools; an instinctive and energetic process to capture the flow of the botanical artwork, responding to the fluid and chalk like material. Helen completed the refining process and plasters qualities by hand finishing and smoothing the lines and surface of each section. 

About the Artist

Petra Börner is an award-winning artist based in London, building her artistic universe with a signature line. Translating ideas into series, paired or mirrored artworks; repetition, movement and energy is ever-present in her practice. 

Ever curious, Börner continually reimagines her line across different contexts, be it prints and patterns or sculptural form, with each transformation retaining a sense of playfulness and vitality. Often inspired by natural themes, her Swedish roots ingrained in her intimate work. With over twenty years of expertise collaborating with a worldwide clientele, paired with a unique ability to successfully combine her signature line with tailored projects, she creates timeless, yet eye- catching design.

Helen Johannessen skilfully creates artworks for the wall, sculptural and installation objects. Her inquisitive ceramics bring new light to interior surroundings; lines, curves and shadows playing a role in the process. Helen graduated in 1995 from Middlesex University, London and trained as a professional model and mould maker. She received The HRH Presidential Medal Award 2020, Heritage Craft Association for her dedication and contribution to the skills currently listed on the Endangered Red List.

Working as part of a large team in the film industry in the late 1990’s as a model maker at Shepperton Studios, building scale models of Trafalgar Square for The New Avengers, Entrapment 36 ft high model of Petronas Towers and sculptural sets and props for Lost In Space.