Futurecity

Founder and CEO, Futurecity

Driven by a personal commitment to the creative sector, Mark opens up opportunities to transform cities into cultural centres. He formed Futurecity, the only placemaking agency of its kind, to find ways for artists to work on a large scale in global cities. Advocating culture-led regeneration and redevelopment, Futurecity creates valuable collaborations and partnerships between the worlds of culture and business.

Mark brings original thinking to clients and collaborators, with a background as an academic and practitioner in the arts sector. He has long-standing relationships with property developers, architects, and other urban professionals. With Futurecity he has become a long-term cultural strategist to most of the major property developers in London. In parallel, he has unrivalled links with the cultural sector, from major cultural organisations and internationally established artists and designers, to rising creative talents, thought leaders and academics.

Mark has led Futurecity in delivering a substantial portfolio of projects including creative placemaking, cultural strategy and arts delivery in cities around the world. He believes in the power of culture to build stronger communities, and create competitive global cities.

About Futurecity

A platform for private and public sector investment in the cultural life of our cities, Futurecity has a global understanding of urban development, with offices in London, Cambridge, Boston and Sydney. Futurecity has written almost 100 arts and culture strategies for large brownfield developments, regeneration areas and urban projects across the UK and internationally, and delivered a high level of global investment for culture and the arts. Futurecity inhabits a unique position in enabling the arts to have an ever-greater relevance and presence in our rapidly developing cities.

Major recent projects include:

Wembley Park

A comprehensive cultural placemaking vision and strategy encompassing arts, sports, community, heritage and the site’s unrivalled digital connectivity. One of the most significant and large-scale new PRS schemes in the UK, supporting one of the most diverse communities in London.

Vauxhall and Nine Elms Opportunity Area

Worked with London Boroughs of Wandsworth and Lambeth, using culture to connect more than 20 development sites in London’s largest regeneration zone.

Greenwich Peninsula

Conceived and implemented a vision of the Peninsula as a new creative district, including the P5K outdoor sculptural running track, and Conrad Shawcross RA’s commission The Optic Cloak, a landmark architectural intervention for the new Low Carbon Energy Centre.

Crossrail, The Culture Line

Uses Futurecity’s experience in inspiring artists, architects and engineers to collaborate on major infrastructure projects. We brokered partnerships between London galleries, artists and Crossrail stations to curate a linear gallery of embedded art, running through the city.

Boston Avenue of the Arts strategy, Boston USA

Part of a state-wide partnership with Massachusetts Cultural Council, provides a practical set of solutions to bring the content held by cultural institutions into the public space along the Fenway route. Backed by the Mayor of Boston and the Senate of Massachusetts.

Sydney Opera House

Part of a team led by Grimshaw Architects and Arup to develop a Precinct Masterplan for the Sydney Opera House. Futurecity is involved in the development of a cultural plan: positioning the precinct in the wider context of creative life in the urban transformation of Sydney.

Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospital

Delivered an arts programme that saw 5 internationally-acclaimed artists and designers embed artworks and creative experiences into the fabric of the Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners building. The commissions did not use NHS funds, and were inspired by research evidencing the link between the arts and positive health outcomes for cancer patients.

The Gallery at Foyles

Identified an opportunity to create a free public gallery space at the Charing Cross branch. Set up a strategic partnership to stimulate community engagement in the arts in all forms: exhibitions have included fashion photography of designs by Alexander McQueen and Mastercraftsmanship featuring Studio Swine and other rising design studios.

Heathrow Airport, Queen’s Terminal

Conceived the idea of, and delivered, a vast sculptural flight path twisting through Heathrow’s Queen’s Terminal. As Europe’s largest sculpture, Slipstream greets over 20 million people crossing this gateway to London every year.

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