Brighton illustrator transforms charity HQ

A University of Brighton illustrator has transformed the London headquarters of a charity for the homeless with doodles.

Roderick Mills, Faculty of Arts senior lecturer, used black pen and paint to decorate rooms, including loos, at the new East End home of Cardboard Citizens the UK’s only homeless people’s professional theatre company which puts on plays by the homeless and displaced actors.

It also runs programmes to help homeless people find jobs and housing.

Roderick worked with design agency Interabang and painted everyday objects including a floor lamp, books, a vacuum cleaner and a telephone to customise rooms.

Some illustrations referred to the theatre company’s previous productions and a doodled sign above a bike rack pointed to London, Paris and Amsterdam – represent the company’s annual fundraising cycle ride.

Interabang’s co-founder Ian McLean, said: “I’ve admired Roderick’s work for years and his style felt really appropriate for the project; we wanted it to feel like someone had come along and customised the building in their own slightly subversive way.

“Roderick was really enthusiastic about it, producing lots of his own brainstorms and doodles.”

Roderick, who is Deputy Chairman of the Association of Illustrators, said: “The project was a great opportunity to effect people’s working environment through drawings.

“Interabang were very keen on the idea of blowing up these simple drawings, extenuating their immediacy and naivety.”