London MET Summer Exhibition 2010 – 29.06.10 – The Secrets of Shadows

Article written by Boidus Contributor Francesca Miles
francesca.miles@btinternet.com

The Secrets of Shadows

One of my early modules at London Met was a photography project under the theme of inside and outside entitled ‘Knowing London’. As the name suggests, we were encouraged to explore London and photograph spaces that we felt responded to the theme in a literal or abstract way. Fleeting encounters with various public spaces urged me to look for a place in London that exposed itself to this theme in a very natural but ambiguous way. Seeking inspiration, I was drawn to an article ‘Hidden Gardens in the City’. It was a vague account but enough to convince me that an eerie Church at St Dunstan’s Hill near Monument might hold the answer.

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Get Ready for Open House London 2009

19^th-20^th September

http://www.openhouse.org.uk/index.html

Siobhan Davies Dance School. Part Open House London 2008

The weekend is fast approaching when the annual Open House London takes place. This weekend (19^th-20^th September) will see as much as 700 sites across the capital throw open their doors to the public. Whether you like old or new, hi-tech or low tech, homes or castles there will something to interest you. If you happen to be an Architecture or design student beginning a degree, or continuing with studies, then this is a great opportunity to get inside a building, take your photos and be inspired. Last year Boidus was inspired by the Siobhan Davies Dance School to do just that. So this is a great opportunity to get ahead of the game or just indulge your passion.

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Pestival

My experience of the “Pestival” on London’s South Bank outside Queen Elizabeth Hall was an impressive 6m cube.

Built of layers of timber that looked like a large scale laser cut model the sculpture represented a termite’s nest.

Originally designed as an 8m cube the “nest” had an intricate series of “dens” and caverns that reminded me of caving and pot holing when I was a teenager.  We were lucky enough to meet the artist and were allowed an exclusive “free range” explorative investigation of the structure.  Inside the spaces feel cosy and home like, we climbed up inside one of the cavernous holes to discover a small bridge like section and a dip down into a “den”.  Inside the den I felt like no one knew I was there, poking my head out of a “window” I felt hidden, passers by didn’t realise I was watching them!

The timber structure was a temporary installation as part of the Pestival, which is no planning on touring other locations.  It is soon to be moved to London Zoo and I strongly recommend if you get a chance to go along and see it.

Termite Pavilion Time Lapse from Park Light Pictures on Vimeo.

More images to come soon

Interior Design and Architecture Showcase @Free Range 2009

Free Range

Above: Visual by Amanda Wheatley

The question that must be posed by this exhibition is what is your interpretation of interior design? Looking at the exhibition from an Architecture perspective should you be expecting an exhibition that deals solely with the shell left behind by Architects? If you consider the answer to be yes then surely you reduce the role of an Interior Designer to that of a painter and decorator. Hence on inspection of the work at Free Range you become aware that Interior Design is a holistic discipline where the best work emerges when the designer thinks outside that box, engages with the building and city, and adds something new.

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Camberwell College of Arts – Summer Exhibition 2009 Review – 23.06.09

The Camberwell College of Arts does not have an architecture school but I decided to include it on my list of summer exhibitions because art and architecture are so closely linked.

The BA (HONS) Photography was the most impressive set of work at the College.  “Roundabout No. 4” by Charlie Field was an interesting mixture of 2 images overlaid on top of each other.

Image from http://www.charliefield.blogspot.com/

To read our feature article about Charlie click here

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Architectural Association (AA) – Summer Exhibition 2009 Review – 08.07.09

I began my final exhibition review by looking around the amazing sculpture that has been erected in Bedford Square. Almost every house around the square features a blue plaque – in dedication to the famous person who once lived there, students casually walk around, carrying large black portfolios, I wonder what secrets these cases hold?

The timber pavilion is a sort of curvaceous shaped blob that created shadows and places to stand or sit.  The timber fins look impressive under the mid day sun and the smell of wood is intoxicating – this is a pleasurable space.  I wonder if a floor or base may have made a welcome addition because people who chose to sit in or around the structure have to sit on the gravel.  Maybe if a floor was not designed some sort of seating could have been incorporated into the structure?  Click here for the AJ review.

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University of East London – Summer Exhibition 2009 Review – 09.06.09

I have to admit my expectations of the University of East London’s AVA (Architecture and Visual Arts) summer show were not high.  I had visited the school three years previously but my memories were hazy – I was expecting some sort of cobbled  arrangement of drawings and models, instead I found a very strong representation of what the university stands for.  Keep reading to learn about my unexpected surprises…

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University College London (The Bartlett) – Summer Exhibition 2009 Review – 02.07.09

Step inside my fellow reader, to a world of excess.

This is the mad hatters tea party of Architectural Exhibitions and you are about to take a journey into a different realm of existence.  A world that knows no bounds, where buildings live and self obsessed people rule.  This is a story of debauchery, opulence, over indulgence, excess, and… most importantly… FUN!

Unattended crates of Champagne and Ale in the main Quadrangle

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London SouthBank University – Summer Exhibition 2009 Review – 30.06.09

The London Southbank (LSBU) Exhibition  was on a swelteringly hot day, temperatures indoors must have been above 30 degrees Celsius but no one seemed to mind. The opening night was a frantic and energetic evening of house music, free drinks and networking. Some guests may have been overwhelmed by the quantity of work to take in, but all in all the night seemed to run well.

The studio spaces were transformed into 4 distinct areas:

BA Arch final year – 2 Bays

Pg Dip Studio 6 and DJ booth – 1 Bay

Pg Dip Studio 7 – 1 Bay

Pg Dip Studio 8 – 2 Bays

The spaces benefited from the light of the setting sun, studio 8 in particular had an aura of energy around it due to an additional set of large windows to the end of the room. The views across London were a good backdrop to this fun evening.  The beer was flowing and everyone seemed in an upbeat mood – just what was needed for the end of another challenging educational year.

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Westminster University – Summer Exhibition 2009 Review – 19.06.09

My second summer exhibition visit was to Westminster University. Situated on a busy leafy street the building is simple and white, I like it. The studios have an impressive mezzanine gallery arrangement that I can imagine helps build a great community and working atmosphere. But something is different than the MET building I visited the night before. There is a distinct lack of mess! I don’t mean the walls, which I presume were recently painted white. The building, the floors, the spaces seem cleaner, crisper, fresher. This can be a good thing, but I feel for Westminster it is a bad thing. Most of the Design Studios (DS) that I look at feel final and complete. Models are mostly laser cut, nearly every drawing is done using a computer and there is a distinct lack of hand drawn sketches, development of projects or hand built models. Even simple models are precision engineered using a laser cutter; this doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, but because nearly every image/drawing/model is computer generated the whole aura is of a detachment from people.

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