From the big apple to London to the London Design Festival! That’s right, the multi-talented artist and designer Patrick Nash is bringing his exquisite neon artworks to this year's London Design Festival and we cannot be more thrilled about it.
To give you a quick backstory of our history together, Patrick joined the Cluster Family back in 2018 for the launch of our first ever Cluster Crafts Fair. Since then we’ve worked together on different projects and exhibitions among which are Nash’s solo project and a staged reading called Funny Guy. Fast-forward to today, we are partnering up again for LDF’s 20th anniversary to create a captivating experience that aims to provoke, inspire and engage Borough Yards’ spectators with Patrick’s pieces.
To share a bit about the artist himself, born and raised in Buffalo NY, Patrick is specializing in architectural graphics and custom pieces in the medium of neon. His work explores the intersection of space, light, and color that attracts and excites viewers which leaves them exhilarated, as if they have escaped from the reality realm for a brief moment.
We decided to catch up with Patrick to learn more about his design process, style and his upcoming events. Here’s what he shared:

What was your first reaction when you were first approached about exhibiting at the London Design Festival?
I was super excited when I heard about it. I’m always looking for ways to reach a wider audience, and I love working with Cluster. The London Design Festival seemed like the perfect event for the kind of urban experiential installations that I like to do.

Tell us a bit about your creative process. Do you think about your audience when you’re making your work or is it more of a self expression?
Questions about the creative process are always tricky. I think it’s because so much of it is a mystery to me. I don’t want to sound crazy, but there really is something like a voice in my head that tells me what to do. And that voice is invariably followed by multiple other voices that tell me not to do the thing. It turns out there are a lot of very good reasons not to do anything “creative.” So I guess for me the process has something to do with disregarding self-censorship and having a willingness to follow through with these ideas, no matter how much doubt and fear I have. As an artist, I feel like if I stop listening to the crazy voice, I will eventually stop hearing it, and that’s not something I want.

Is there a particular feeling or thought you wish to provoke in someone who's seeing and interacting with your art for the first time?
Feeling yes, though no. I want to share the thrill and excitement of my original inspiration, but beyond that, it’s impossible to characterize.
I sometimes don’t understand my work until years after it’s been conceived, produced and oftentimes destroyed. It’s important for me that people share a sense of the new and unexpected, and get a feeling that certain rules no longer apply. That’s where the excitement is. Ideally, my work will cause the viewer to shudder, and briefly occupy a lawless infinite frontier before returning to their comfort zone.

How did you develop your personal style and how did it evolve over time?
My style evolves, but there is an essence, or identity in my work that stays the same. I’ve always been proud to say my work is superficial. It’s really the surfaces of things that are interesting to me, that’s the dynamic interface. Yet, even so there is an integrity that comes from the intention of the work.

Would you like to tell our readers about what you are working on currently and what you have planned for us next?
Next up is Cluster Contemporary in November, which I’m really looking forward to. We have an interactive piece that directly engages the audience verbally and visually. It’s very exciting! We are also looking forward to doing an extended developmental run of Funny Guy in an alternative non-theater space in London, probably the beginning of 2023. Stay tuned about that. I’m also developing the back story and other 3d branding assets for the fake pharmaceutical company “Excellon.” Excellon_Anthem is the fake company that has produced several musicals, including Beulah Land, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the Musical, Burisma Affair Musical. All of these shows break the fourth wall in a way that bridges the gap between the narrative and the audience experience. They are essentially ironic corporate morality plays that take divisive culture issues and interpret them as farce. I hope to present an Excellon musical in London sometime soon.