Grand’s new contemporary art agenda

Cinnamon Grand launches a sustainable art collection

The sustainability ethos championed by Sri Lanka’s premier five-star corporate city hotel, Cinnamon Grand Colombo now goes beyond products and service offerings, with the unveiling of the hotel’s new sustainable contemporary art collection ‘Symbiosis’. Artists from the Collective of Contemporary Artists (CoCA) headed by Chinthaka and Poornima Thenuwara have worked in partnership in creating the concepts for these interactive pieces. 

The hotel’s own talented Engineering and Garden teams worked on the concepts provided for over six months, putting together a collection of two interactive installations as part of Cinnamon Grand’s aesthetic drive to take the hotel’s art agenda to the next level.  

The two installations are aimed at showcasing the local artistic talent, as well as make the hotel patronage more experiential and locally infused for guests. Created almost entirely with waste material, the installations are the result of the first partnership between a corporate entity and artists where the work was produced entirely in collaboration. 

Speaking on behalf of Cinnamon, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts Sector Head-city hotels Rohan Karr said, “We are honoured to participate in a sustainable and creative partnership that has enhanced Cinnamon Grand’s continuing ideology to combine creativity with sustainability.” Incidentally, Asia’s first-ever carbon neutral venue ‘Nuga Gama’ is also located at Cinnamon Grand where rural culture, urban creativity and sustainable practices combine to create a unique venue for dining, events and art. Karr further added, “Cinnamon Grand continues the Cinnamon tradition of engaging with contemporary Sri Lankan artists. This is only a glimpse of what is going to be on offer at Cinnamon’s city hotels to promote the work of talented artists and create dynamic spaces for guests to enjoy.” 

The two installations recently unveiled at Cinnamon Grand are each unique and yet connected to the property and to each other, making the collection a carefully curated experience for guests and visitors to the hotel. Speaking on behalf of the conceptual team at CoCA, Poornima Thenuwara said, “Project Symbiosis is an opportunity to explore, analyse and strengthen connections between social activism and artistic practice. It goes beyond innovation and becomes in itself an approach, a perspective, a practice and a philosophy. It is very commendable that a corporate entity such as Cinnamon Grand has taken the initiative to work in collaboration with CoCA to create these interactive pieces.”

The first piece, titled ‘Illusionist’ is a mechanical installation comprising of a steel structure housing bicycle wheels that work together when interacted with, attempting to depict a chain reaction, which will be showcased near the Cheers Pub.

The second piece in the collection which is ‘unnamed’ at present is an inspired garden seats produced with grass and scrap metal creating a space for guests to relax and fantasise. The thought-provoking piece with a clock emphasising on being in the ‘now’, hopes to inspire the need to embrace the present moment, despite the many daily distractions of living. This piece can be found at the Tea Lounge garden.  

The ‘Symbiosis Collection’ is now open at Cinnamon Grand Colombo for public viewing and interacting. The collection aims to inspire each and every visitor to Cinnamon Grand; in the midst of a busy schedule, spending a moment with the installations are bound to be a stress-fee space for inspiration. 

The Symbiosis collection is a key feature in Cinnamon Grand’s contribution to urban culture and aesthetic development, combining sustainable practices, recycled material and imaginative design in one of the most important cultural collaboration’s in Colombo’s recent past. Cinnamon Grand Colombo marks another first in Sri Lanka’s Art history by being the first corporate entity to successfully collaborate with a local art project bringing together visions and synergistically working together for sustainable development. 

This project not only showcased the artistic impression in everyone involved but went further by connecting those who were involved in its creation in a conceptual level. This connection is clearly visible transforming and making an impact visually as well as conceptually for the general public.

More innovative projects of this nature will continue to unfold within Cinnamon’s city hotels in the coming months, inspiring artists and guests alike. Artists interested in showcasing their work in the hotels can further email their details to [email protected].