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Sustainability, Public Commissions and Collaborations

Partners

Ivan Clarke and Petra Schmidt discussed their work on Kara Walker’s Fons Americanus, the 2019 Hyundai Turbine Hall Commission at Tate Modern, highlighting practices of sustainability in fabrication.

Director, Millimetre

Ivan Clarke

Ivan Clarke has a mixed background, initially studying for an Ecology degree and then an Environmental Philosophy Masters. Subsequently he ran a recycling charity before moving towards his more vocational career for which he studied furniture crafts, welding and CAD and went on to establish his own sculptural lighting business.

From there Ivan spent time at Brighton & Hove City Council working in regeneration, community and environmental arts programmes prior to moving to millimetre where he has been a director for the past 13 years. Ivan has a keen interest in sustainability in the context of art and architecture. Whilst acknowledging the ‘art for art’s sake’ sentiment he finds the tension between creation of objects and the associated environmental cost fascinating, challenging and distressing. He is no stranger to cognitive dissonance.
Tate Modern Production Manager

Petra Schmidt

Petra Schmidt is a London based Creative Producer and currently the Production Manager for commissions at Tate Modern. She primarily oversees the delivery of large artworks created for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, including those by Kara Walker in 2019 and Anicka Yi, due to open in 2021.

Before that, she worked on public art installations for the London Design Festival and in various operational roles at the Crafts Council, British Council, and at the Design Museum. With the help of an extensive network of skilled collaborators, professional competence, and passion, she makes the things happen that often at first seem impossible. Having worked in the Arts and Events for years, she has witnessed the often wasteful nature of these practices and believes it is our shared responsibility to drive positive change for people and planet through the use of ethical, sustainable, and advanced means of production.

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