Birmingham, United Kingdom

Titled Infinity Pattern 1, the temporary architectural structure transforms Birmingham’s skyline, covering the iconic Selfridges building and injecting it with a bold colour palette of pinks and black, arranged in a striking tessellated pattern.

The major public artwork–part of Selfridges long-established commitment to supporting creativity in the cities its stores call home–will remain in its completed state until the end of the year while the store undergoes renovation work.

The work is co-commissioned with Ikon, who led an international competition to find the winning design and presented Osman’s first solo exhibition, Being Somewhere Else in 2018.

A radical new landmark for the city, Infinity Pattern 1 addresses the issues of race, labour and migration which have shaped Birmingham’s past and present.

Contrasting the weight of these themes, the work also carries a deep sense of optimism, connectivity and hope.

For Osman, who is Birmingham-born and the son of Afghani-Pakistani migrants, the work contains some autobiographical elements, but at its core it stages the concept of a world without borders, whether physical or in the mind, represented by the endlessly tessellating pattern.

The work is entrenched in autoethnographic elements of migration, community formation and how they happen, interact and settle.

“The work reflects my personal story and more widely my ethnic history and some of the symbolisms inherent to my culture,” states Osman Yousefzada.

The commission is complemented by an in-store art exhibition, shop and art trail, co-designed and cocurated with Ikon, as part of an ongoing creative relationship between the gallery and the store.

“After leading the search for an artist to work with Selfridges it’s exciting to see the transformation of Birmingham’s skyline thanks to Osman Yousefzada’s “Infinity Pattern” enveloping this iconic building with extraordinary visual impact” states Jonathan Watkins, Director, Ikon.

“The work smartly conveys his ongoing preoccupation with the nature of cultural identity, a basic human need for belonging and the experience of migration, and these themes will be developed further through an exciting programme of events taking place instore as part of Ikon’s Migrant Festival in August. It couldn’t be more right for this city.”

“Selfridges is celebrating the communities of Birmingham through a unique art commission that represents both optimism and transformation,” states Hannah Emslie, Selfridges Creative Director.

“This new work by Osman Yousefzada is uplifting but also meaningful and deeply connected to the fabric and culture of the city. By changing the skyline–at a time when the city itself is changing–we hope to make the world brighter through creative expression, and the people of Birmingham even prouder of their iconic city.”

Yousefzada’s installation continues during the renovation work on Selfridges, which is being carried out by Hammerson, who owns and manages Bullring & Grand Central and will see the 15,000 silver disks removed and stored, while the building’s facade is replaced alongside installing a new layer of insulation.

Once this has taken place, the building will be re-painted in the original eye-catching Yves Klein Blue before the disks are re-attached.

The building, whose radical design was inspired by a 1960s Paco Rabanne chainmail dress, has become one of Birmingham’s most distinctive contemporary landmarks and a tourist attraction in its own right.

It will retain its architectural might once the work is complete and the wrap and scaffolding are removed.

The building’s design was created by architects Future Systems and was ground-breaking.

Since its original construction, there have been major advances both in construction and building standards as well as insulation.

The renovation works and insulation upgrade will deliver a 50% improvement in U-Values (the rate of transfer of heat through a building), making the building more energy-efficient to run whilst improving its carbon footprint.

This is consistent with Hammerson’s Net Positive strategy.

Project: Infinity Pattern 1
Artist: Osman Yousefzada
Client: Selfridges
Photographers: Jason Alden