In this short film, 
Chris Mercier talks about the 1940s TOB1 prefab buildings on the University of Reading Whiteknights campus which have been the home of the fine art department since 1989. Chris’s illustration of Studio 4, with its distinctive saw-tooth roof, features in the book The Art and History of Whiteknights.
Chris shows us his print studio, talks us through how he made the silk screen print of Studio 4, and introduces some of the work produced during isolation and lockdown, including a series of disembodied dance drawings.
Chris Mercier, artist and printmaker lives and practises in Reading (UK). He runs the Printmaker art editioning studio. He has also collaborated with many artists in the role of master printer. He is a member of the OpenHand OpenStudio, Arjeea21 and the Printmakers Council.
He studied Fine Art at The University of Reading and fine art printmaking at the Royal College of Art, London.
You can find out more about Chris Mercier’s work at www.chrismercier.co.uk
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In a normal year, towards the end of May we would be looking forward to the annual Whiteknights Studio Trail, where our local artists and craftspeople open their houses. This is the trail’s 20th year, and in a joint venture with the Whiteknights Studio Trail, Two Rivers Press is delighted to publish a beautiful celebratory book, The Art and History of Whiteknights, which features 28 artworks all inspired by the Whiteknights area of Reading. The featured artists have all exhibited on the trail over the years, and in the unfortunate absence of the trail itself in 2020 (it will be back in 2021!) we hope that this book will remind you of the wealth of creative talent in our locality, as well as inspiring you to reflect more deeply on the history and roots of this special part of town.