The evening started with guests participating in Maryam Palizgir’s Happy City project, which aims to engage communities through the performance of public art. With previous exhibits in Palizgir’s hometown of Tehran, Iran, as well as The Cornelius Foundation’s Lagamas Residency in 2014, Palizgir’s laser-cut designs of London flowers were spray painted onto Skip Garden tables, reinforcing the link between nature, community and art.

Equipped with colourful cans of spray paint, the artistic freedom of the activity and beautiful effects created by the Happy City project brought guests closer together as an icebreaker. Protected by wearable bin bags and plastic gloves, the DWC team eagerly joined in, using stencils to layer flower designs as well as trying out more avant-garde techniques such as spraying directly on or around hands.

Following the immersive painting session, a delicious three-course vegetarian meal was shared over candlelight, interspersed with thought-provoking presentations by artists Clare Palmier of ARTstation and Palmier Works, and Theresa Caruana, creator of interactive artworks.

Connecting with people of such professional diversity was not only socially enjoyable but also got us thinking about the innovative benefits that different perspectives can bring. As a study in the MITSloan journal found out, research suggests that increased diversity in personal networks such as twitter has a positive correlation with the quality of ideas. Indeed, one of the many reasons we enjoy working with our partners across the Dawson Walker network is the innovation that results from having a variety of expertise bringing fresh ideas to projects.