The subject
Kensington Palace is being transformed. During recent building work we discovered a fascinating glimpse into the past decoration of the palace through scraps of wallpaper dating back 200 years hidden under panels and plaster.

The fragments were found in the rooms that will be our new Clore Learning Centre. We decided to take these fragments as a starting point to create new work in dialogue with our palace community and learning audiences through an artist residency, taking the theme of uncovering the layers of the palace's history.

This was our first artist in residence programme at Kensington following successful residencies at Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London.

The artist
Natalie Ryde was commissioned to explore the themes of the wallpapers alongside our learning audiences and to produce new work as a result of this exploration. 

Natalie Ryde is an artist working across the fields of painting, printmaking, installation and jewellery. She has exhibited in solo and group shows in the UK and Europe. Natalie is also the current artist in residence at the Tricycle Theatre in London. For more information about Natalie’s work please see www.natalieryde.com

Our learning audiences
Natalie worked with over 380 participants over the 6 months of her residency including primary and secondary school students, adult learners and the palace's Youth Panel.

The art work
During her residency she helped reveal the wallpaper research to learning audiences through a process of practical engagement,  exploration of pattern and experimentation with printmaking techniques. Each group who worked with Natalie created their own piece of print work which will be exhibited in a final show in April 2012.
Natalie has created two large scale commission pieces inspired by the project for permanent display in our new Clore Learning Centre which will open in March 2012. We're looking forward to mixing inspiration from the past with an exciting new future for these spaces.

Feedback
"The wallpapers made the children think about the characters and people that were there before. It gave them the opportunity to talk about the different people and attitudes of different times"
Teacher, St Mary Abbots Primary School

"The patterns in Kensington Palace was abstract and creative compared to the patterns I usually create" Student, Westminster City School

More information
For more information about the project please see our HRP learning blog and flickr account. Alternatively, you can contact Jenny Wedgbury, Education Officer on jenny.wedgbury@hrp.org.uk