Paint the Maiden Tower was the third International Arts Festival held in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2010.  I was one of 20 artists from 18 countries in that year who were invited to paint a model of the city’s architectural icon, the Maiden Tower, which were later exhibited throughout the city.  I used a pattern from patchwork quilting which proved more time consuming to paint than anticipated as I kept stopping work to chat with passers-by.  Melanie volunteered to help me and eventually members of the public and other participants in the Festival joined in.  

​

The Maiden Tower in Baku is a historical monument dating back to the ninth century AD and is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. It is a symbol of great importance for Azerbaijani culture.  In 2010 it was celebrated through support from the  Heydar Aliyev Foundation to promote and integrate symbols of Azerbaijani culture  with world cultures.  Over 40 artists from around the world have taken part in this project.

In 2012 my work  was one of those selected to become part of a dynamic light show  projected onto the actual Maiden Tower during the Eurovision Song Contest using 365º video mapping.  Light was used to 'paint' images of the selected works on the Maiden Tower.  The paintings were photographed and reinterpreted dynamically, transformed into animated light projections.   

​

You can see a show reel of the light show here.

​

Click on an image for more photographs.