Never known to shun the spotlight leading trade paint brand Leyland has helped transform a bare exhibition space into a brooding and atmospheric setting at the Royal College of Art in London.

The college was hosting a three-week exhibition displaying the work of pioneering artist and filmmaker, John Smith, whose influential work explores representations of reality and fiction within film and required a product and, more importantly, a background that would give the 1600 square metre space a distinctly ‘noir’ makeover.

After being struck by Leyland's recent eye-catching campaigns, students at the college approached the brand to assist in conjuring up an immersive environment in which the visual and audio art could be fully appreciated - and in typical Leyland style the space received an Oscar-worthy makeover.


Thanks to the dedicated staff at the Johnstone's Leyland Decorating Centre in Kingston, the college received its donation of 100 litres of black Vinyl Matt in plenty of time for them to give the space its much-needed spruce up.

Carmen Billows from the Curating Contemporary Art department said: "The black emulsion paint supplied by Leyland was used throughout the galleries to black out screening spaces for several of the film works. This helped to make the films more luminous and created a space where no distraction could influence the viewer's impression of the film."

Leyland Brand Manager Nicki Hickman added: "We are more than happy that we could assist the college and its students in this fantastic visual project that Leyland's product range complemented so well."

Leyland's sister brand, Fat Hog, was also on hand to provide a wide range of professional decorating tools, including brushes and rollers from its Evolution range, to ensure that the project was completed in a swift fashion.

For more information on Leyland's complete product range Visit: www.leyandtrade.com

or Tel: 0800 591717.