Sotheby’s
Experiential / Exhibit Design
Working with the team at Sotheby’s, I had the privilege of creating a spatial world within this renowned London auction house to showcase Pauline Karpidas: The London Collection - a visual journey tracing the collector’s extraordinary path, from her early years in Manchester through to her remarkable life as a patron and tastemaker in London.
Born Pauline Parry in post-war Manchester, she began her professional life as a secretary before moving to Athens, where she opened the boutique My Fair Lady and later married Constantine “Dinos” Karpidas. Under the mentorship of Alexander Iolas, she became one of Europe’s most adventurous collectors, transforming her Hyde Park home into a surrealist “cabinet of curiosities” filled with art, design, and personal treasures.
In response, I designed a series of abstract 3D exhibition environments inspired by her story, evoking the grit of Manchester, the elegance of Athens, and the theatrical richness of her London interiors. Working closely with the Sotheby’s team, I was given the autonomy to shape an abstract narrative that felt immersive, contemporary, and true to her legacy.
Alongside still visuals and 3D modelling for fabrication I also produced several animated pieces for projection, including an abstract, art-deco Parisian streetscape that echoed the era of many works in her collection. These animations allowed the audience to step into a dreamlike space - bridging her passion for surrealism with the atmosphere of the cities and eras that defined her life.
The result was a sequence of environments that celebrated not only the collection itself but also the story behind it, spaces that feel personal, cinematic, and rooted in memory as much as in art.
Production Process
The project began with site visits to Sotheby’s auction house, where I explored how the collection might be transformed into something more than a display—an immersive journey. Initial plans and models were developed in SketchUp, mapping out spatial arrangements and testing the interplay of scale, light, and movement.
Research ran in parallel: I studied the works themselves alongside Pauline Karpidas’s story and the cultural backdrops that shaped her collection. The glamour and exuberance of 1920s art deco became a touchstone—an era of flamboyance, bold geometry, and colour that resonated with the surreal and eclectic spirit of her life. This influence encouraged me to lean into the abstract, to embrace the theatrical rather than the restrained.
With this foundation, I moved into Cinema 4D, where key visuals and fabricator-ready models were produced. Here the spaces came alive: vivid palettes, exaggerated forms, and surreal juxtapositions evolved into animations, including an art-deco Parisian streetscape designed for projection. These moving pieces added a layer of spectacle—transforming the environment into something both cinematic and celebratory.
The result was a sequence of designs that channelled Karpidas’s world through colour, imagination, and dramatic flourish—immersive spaces that honoured the collection while evoking the life and character behind it.
The Cutting Floor
Final Designs
In time for the exhibition opening to the general public on the 8th September 2025 the completed route brought together abstract exhibition spaces infused with colour, surreal flourishes, and echoes of 1920s art deco. The environments were designed not as literal reconstructions, but as expressive backdrops that carried the spirit of Pauline Karpidas’s story—from her beginnings in Manchester through to the theatricality of her London interiors.
The final visuals balanced flamboyance with precision. Key sequences were developed for projection, including the animated art-deco Parisian streetscape, while a series of fabricator-ready models ensured the designs could be faithfully translated into large-scale installation. These elements created a seamless flow between static imagery and moving environments, all bound by the same narrative arc.
The work is presented here alongside selected press photography of the exhibition, which captures the designs in dialogue with Sotheby’s spaces and the collection itself. Together, they form a record of how the project moved from concept sketches to immersive, built experience.
