Let there be light

WHO knew that all it takes to sell a property is a black gown that’s been submerged in the Dead Sea until it’s covered in luminous-white salt crystals? The Salt Bride by Sigalit Landau, at Long & Waterson (a collection of lofts, apartments and penthouses in Shoreditch, E2), is just one of many works of Contemporary art that are popping up in show apartments across the capital.

Knight Frank has started to make a habit of enhancing its properties in this way, often for sale in partnership with a gallery. ‘Does it make the properties more saleable? Hard to say,’ says Tom Rundall of the estate agent’s new-homes team (020–7718 5223). ‘Selling new-builds is different, because they’ve never been lived in—artwork makes them more human.’

Other developments on the market with Knight Frank that have embraced the trend are Landmark Place, which is adorned with a Damien Hirst butterfly piece, and Centre Point, with 82 luxury apartments and a neon-light installation by Cerith Wyn Evans soon to be in the foyer. Over in Canary Wharf, One Park Drive, London’s first residential tower by Herzog & de Meuron, is adorned with a mosaic of 15,000 individual photographs by Helen Marshall and LED work by Aphra Shemza (left).

‘Although we’d love to source Old Masters, the style of the new developments tends to be sleek and contemporary. The vibrancy of these artworks offsets that perfectly,’ continues Mr Rundall. ‘Sometimes, buyers are so impressed with a show apartment, they buy the entire contents.’