Neptunus awarded new three-year contract for Frieze's UK art fairs

Structure specialists Neptunus has been awarded a further three-year contract to supply the temporary venue for the critically-acclaimed Frieze London and Frieze Masters art fairs.

Neptunus has been the structure supplier of choice for Frieze, the media and events’ company responsible for four of the world’s leading art fairs, since 2012. Each year Neptunus creates a bespoke temporary exhibition venue in London’s Regent’s Park for Frieze’s two UK events. This year’s art and cultural shows, that attract thousands of visitors from across the globe, took place from October 5-7 with Preview Days 3—4 October.
Contemporary art fair Frieze London sees over 160 international galleries showcasing more than 1,000 international artists. Frieze Masters features more than 130 leading modern and historic galleries from around the world showcasing art from the ancient era and Old Masters to the late 20th century.
April Trasler, Managing Director of Northampton-based Neptunus, says: “We are delighted to have been awarded this three-year contract extension which reflects the excellent relationship we have developed with Frieze Events over the past seven years. It also reflects the efforts of the technical team here at Neptunus who create a quite spectacular exhibition venue within the challenging environments of one of London’s most iconic parks.”

It takes just two weeks for a 60-strong team of technicians to erect over 40,500 square metres of facilities, incorporating a range of 55 separate buildings, covering a space which is the equivalent to nearly six Wembley football pitches.

Four 50-metre-wide clear-span Alu Halls provide separate but linked exhibition halls for Frieze London and are cleverly constructed around the impressive tree canopies of The Regents Park, along with a host of ancillary structures.
A further three 50-metre-wide Alu Halls, which are also linked, provide dedicated exhibition space for Frieze Masters. The sloped site means the exhibitions halls have to be built on an under-structure frame to ensure level floors throughout each of the buildings.

Neptunus’ Alu Halls create a ‘blank canvas’ environment which is the perfect backdrop to display the diverse range of art at the two fairs. Smaller structures house a café, restaurants, sponsors’ area, press room, auditoriums, reception areas, store rooms, toilets and administrative offices. And Neptunus don’t only supply the infrastructure for the event…a piece of the company’s steel kit, an empty stillage used to carry equipment on to site, was used by one of the artists to secure an exhibit on display outside the entrance.

The complex annual assignment is one of Neptunus’ greatest logistical challenges with around 2,500 tons of equipment transported on to a site in the heart of London through narrow roads. The delivery and build process has to be carried out methodically to ensure the landscape of the beautiful Royal Park is not damaged. To achieve this Neptunus work closely with Frieze’s site management team 20-20 Events, which is responsible for the temporary infrastructure, security and traffic management, for the installation, event and removal.

About Neptunus
Founded nearly 80 years ago, Neptunus remains a family-run business known for the creativity and innovation of its temporary structures. With a head office in The Netherlands and divisions in the UK, Belgium, Germany, France, Poland and Austria, Neptunus has a proven track record in the design, manufacture and delivery of all types of temporary buildings. Neptunus Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Neptunus BV based in The Netherlands. Its UK operation is located in Swan Valley, Northampton, where the company has purpose built offices, storage and maintenance facilities. Neptunus has over 450,000 square metres of high quality structures in a wide range of styles. With cassette flooring systems, Neptunus' flexible and spacious structures provide ideal solutions for short-term or longer-term rental requirements. For more information visit: www.neptunus.co.uk

For more information, please see:
www.neptunus.co.uk

PAUL SMITH ASSOCIATES
17th October 2018