Fromental has worked with Sir David Tang for many years, together they have created a variety of intricate and luxurious projects. Both having an interest in colour, drama and traditional Chinese imagery, the two are well aligned. Sir David approached Fromental imagining how his China Tang eatery would look, he requested sunspots and dark interiors reminiscent of old Shanhai, with art deco detailing accompanied with rich colours. Fromental and Sir David together selected Fromental’s lotus and carp wallpaper for his China Tang eatery. The lotus and carp wallpaper has been reapproriated into a panoramic piece of artwork that currently adorns the walls of the China Tang eatery.

To achieve an impression of an illuminated aquarium, Fromental hand-painted its lotus and carp design onto a sheer silk organza which was then hung over a mirror and accompanied with LED lighting. Silk organza was used to create this desired look due to its translucency, which was further enhanced with Fromental’s process of painting with textile dyes. These dyes colour the silk itself; as light passes through the silk it colours the light found within the fabric, which creates a ‘magic lantern’ illumination.

Fromental produces its wallpaper from a slightly different silk – a very fine habit silk. This silk is as fine as the silk found in the production of parachutes. The wallpaper is then treated with a gum, so that it will take to standard paint, and is then backed onto paper. The silk imparts a wonderful sheen and lustre and diffuses light whilst softening sound unlike any other paper.

The intensity of this project involved a team of six artists, with the junior artists hand-painting in the blank colour, the detail is then built-up from there with a greater and greater skill. The team leaders then add in the final intricate details to the birds featured on the walls within the restaurant.

The reception area of any hotel is where the scene is set. A total of 18 artists utilised their skills within the China Tang’s reception area, creating the wall art within the 80m2 reception area – which involved a total of 2000 hours of hand-painting in just three weeks for this area alone. Sir David requested for the reception area to hold a dark and moody scene incorporating a flash of colour to the scheme. Sir David’s concept behind this was for visitors to emerge from a darker space into the vivid colours that adorn the walls of the rest of the interior. The Kingfisher colourway of black and vibrant colours, reminiscent of imperial Chinese jewellery, was used within the reception area to achieve Sir David’s request. This colourway is based on a traditional Chinese technique of creating bold lacquer work, in turquoise, onto a black canvas using real kingfisher feathers. Fromental recreated this look by painting a gloss lacquer background and then painting on the vivid design.

The paints used for this luxurious project are traditional Chinese paints which attribute to the overall mystery and excitement of this project. The Kingfisher scheme, featured within the reception area, was produced from heavily-pigmented acrylic paints, this assisted in creating the strong and bright colours that are evident from the final design. Elsewhere, a lacquer ground acrylic was used to produce the design for the staircase. The pigments found within the lacquer ground acrylic are particularly strong. The paper found on the stairway was sealed with glaze, which created the gloss lacquer effect and prevented the artwork from wear-and-tear.