Van Gogh House is not just a record of Vincent Van Gogh’s time at 87 Hackford Road in 1873-4. Rather, it is a living, breathing house, with many recent works by artists and designers, which are continually being added to over time.
If you’re interested in seeing our permanent commissions in person, book onto one of our Guided Tours here ⟶
Something you may not immediately notice when you first visit Van Gogh House is this beautiful handmade spindle by artist Oliver Dorman.
Before the House was renovated, the original 19th century staircase was hidden under MDF boards.
Fortunately, the staircase was almost completely intact, apart from a missing spindle. Rather than restore the staircase to its original condition we thought it was a great opportunity to add something new to the house!
We love the way the spindle curves with the turn in the staircase itself, almost as though it’s turning around with you.
Narrating a unique journey that considers Van Gogh’s time at 87 Hackford Road, At the Crossroads with Vincent is a free downloadable audio walk that can be experienced and applied to any geographic location.
Whilst undertaking a joint residency at Van Gogh House, Hannah Cawley and Rachel Jones-Jones created several sets of curtains for the house.
Each pair is hand sewn and dyed using a variety of plants visible from the windows of the house. Some even feature small embroidered depictions of the toys found under the floorboards in Vincent’s bedroom.
The pair also collaborated to create a limited edition run of botanically dyed scarves which are based on the men’s fashion of the late 19th century for colourful neck scarves.
Shop the scarves here ⟶
Over Spring 2021 Jo Volley created a timeline charting the specific colours used by Van Gogh across his lifetime. Materials, collated through a close reading of the artist’s letters and associated texts, were applied directly to the walls of the Van Gogh House.
To accompany the timeline Volley has created a beautiful set of editions which are now available to buy on our online shop. ⟶
Thank you for the outside, see you on the inside, 2021 is an audio composition and graphic score made by Lilian Nejatpour during her time and artist residency at the Van Gogh House in August 2021.
The composition is a rich tapestry of electronic textures and motifs, taking influence from 18th-century classical music that Van Gogh would have listened to during his stay in London, to the contemporary snapshot of dense car subwoofer breakbeats moving through the streets of Hackford and Brixton Road.
Listen to the full soundscape here ⟶
A few playful signatures were left by members of the Triskele team that included a newly cast ceiling rose by plasterer Phil Bailey, a decorated lead flush pipe in the W.C. by Colin Hyde and Stefan Hirdau, and a roof access hatch made from unsalvageable window reveal boards by Brian Murphy.
This holistic approach to 87 Hackford Road’s renovation has allowed the house to value stories beyond Van Gogh. We hope that this appreciation of the house throughout time, and its purpose as a place of residence and artistic production, gives the building an ideological robustness that will translate to its physical fabric.
