miami skies

brooklyn bridge

A few snaps of the photogenic Brooklyn Bridge taken back in November...

 

live project: fish island, hackney wick

As part of a live project to regenerate a terraced house in the cultural area of Hackney Wick, London,  thirty students from Oxford Brookes University spent four weeks designing, fabricating and building installations to accommodate a group of artists into the space.

My group focussed on designing the roof terrace, seating and transforming the adjacent interior space into a cafe area. We based our concept on the tea-making process; the ritual of picking ingredients, brewing, conversation, and story-telling.

The step in the process, of feeding out information, or exhaling, responded to the conditions on our site. A number of air conditioning units surrounded the perimeter of the terrace, which fed out waste energy from the building. We wanted to use this link between inside and outside, to form a spacial relationship between the spaces.

The solution we came up with was 'bubble' inflated by the waste heat coming through the air conditioning units, which houses the storytelling part of the ritual. Working backwards, mint plants and a steaming urn are placed outside the bubble, timber seating and a shoe rack are provided around the perimeter and inside, we hung a sea of space blankets to direct and feed people outside, or seat people in the landscape below, where we fed back the stories that were voiced within the bubble. A mural painted on the exterior wall accentuated the 'exhaling' and 'feeding' nature of our intervention.

post-pop: saatchi

Pop-art's one of those things that divides people's opinions; it was either an Art Revolution or Not Art At All. I choose to take the opinion that it's art if it moves me to react, physically closer to examine it, or emotionally engage. 

This weekend I popped into the Post-Pop exhibition, East Meets West, that is currently housed in the Saatchi Gallery. There were pieces which responded to the movement in humorous, imitative and elaborative ways, often taking the well-known art pieces of the Pop Art movement as the subject, and making a point about them.

There were some however, which stood out for being less obviously neo-pop.

Above, is the beautiful sepia-toned installation located in the centre of the exhibition spaces. Flags from countries around the world hang, creating hovering columns and an undulating ceilingscape. The beauty of the installation is the delicate way in which it is lit and hung, and moving closer, how it is put together. When a piece of art changes your understanding of your surroundings and makes you question your reality, it has made its impact. The artist, Wenda Gu, has used hair - human hair - bound with glue and burlap to create the fabric of each flag. An unusual and relatively gross medium, has been used to create something quite grand! There are many examples in nature where gross turns into glorious; that is what this installation made me contemplate.

East Meets West aims to communicate how Pop-Art developed so similarly in polar regions of the globe; most of the art on display was produced between Russia, China and the US. However, the point of an exhibition has never really mattered to anyone, it is what point you take home at the end of the day that does. To broaden your scope, to contemplate ideas, and develop thoughts is what culture does, and it affects each individual differently.

It was refreshing to visit, go and let me know what you thought! 

venice's land

venice's waters

Here are a few snaps of mine which capture the overcrowded, over-photographed but sorrowfully drowning, Venice. Mass tourism has throttled the city's Italian spirit, and as a result, Venice has developed a unique personality of its own.

venice biennale: architectural elements in space

These are some of the spaces that captured my eye around the Biennale itself. After all, the architecture makes the experience. Enjoy!

venice biennale: exhibited

Buongiorno, tutti!

This summer I made my first trip to the mother of all architecture shows, the Venice Biennale. The enormous exhibition takes place, this year, for its longest ever running period - right through the summer until late November. Located at the main venues of the Giardini Pubblici and the Arsenale, a grand public garden and a naval base respectively, the bulk of it demands a good two days to take all in. The concept this year is Fundamentals. Join me in my journey around the show... Andiamo!

Giardini Pubblici

Absorbing Modernity is the theme of the brief given this year, to each of the 66 national pavilions involved in the Biennale. Tackled from a variety of perspectives, it was interesting to discover the cultural views addressed in each exhibit, covering the past 100 years.

My impression at the end of the first day, after visiting the national pavilions permanently located at the Giardini Pubblici, left me mostly overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it all. With so much to explore and learn, I would advise prioritising your visit so as not to miss what you came for.

My favourite pavilions, however, stood out largely for their instant appeal in aesthetic or concept. 

The Danish pavilion includes spaces for singling out and heightening senses. The Spanish Interior invites visitors into the modern spaces of selected projects: case studies include drawings, photographs and perspectival projections. The Belgian, frames spaces using geometry, achieving this through its manner of composition, and lack of chromatic distraction. The Hungarian pavilion gets a mention for its interactive installation, which makes reference to community contribution. 

Located at the base of the national pavilions, The Central Pavilion has its own brief to fulfil. Hosting Elements of Architecture, it is a display of gathered research which examines and celebrates the individual elements of the built environment. There is a nifty film by Davide Rapp, which demonstrates the idea neatly. Here is snippet of it, titled Elements.

This year's curator, Rem Koolhaas also talks a little bit about the concept below.

Rem Koolhaas' Elements of Architecture exhibition aims to "modernise architectural thinking" from Dezeen on Vimeo.

Arsenale

Day Two at the Arsenale, was more interesting. Perhaps it was the historic setting, the romance of the ambient light or that the exhibition felt more wholesome, united under one roof. Focussing on Italy itself, there is an abundant number of films playing, installations to examine and snippets of knowledge to digest. Each space floats ahead of the next and as you progress to the back, you are met with the Italian sunshine again. 

Following on, lunch, and then several more pavilions to peek at. 

If two days are not enough for you, there are more Biennale pop-ups and pavilions dotted around Venice. Go on an architectural treasure-hunt and get to know the city better at the same time.

Walking around, I couldn't help but notice the buildings surrounding the exhibition spaces. To me, this was as interesting as the displays and installations themselves. 

Photos to come in the following post... Till then X

digital revolution

Currently exhibiting at the Barbican Centre, Digital Revolution is a visual and interactive display of the history of the developments of technology spanning the last forty-five years, as well as the now of how tech is being integrated into the fabric of our lives.

The exhibition follows the role of technology and its impact across creative disciplines, allowing users to play and interact with artwork, installations and old-fashioned computer games.

It most notably demonstrates that smart technology is no longer limited to machines; virtual experiences now take much more physical dimensions. Systems functioning in our architecture, music experiences, film and fashion, are just the beginning of advancements in these fields.

Whilst the rise of technology from its initial forms has been revolutionary, the rate at which it is developing has become rather steady and predictable. Perhaps it is the designer in me, but very little is surprising anymore. Or it might simply be that what was life-changing forty years ago is merely expected by our express-mode generation?

All in all, Digital Revolution is worth a visit to catch up with design trends and for a thorough and interesting history lesson. Just don't expect to feel like a part of a revolution that isn't.

A version of this article is included in the first issue of OSA, a student-run magazine for the Oxford Brookes School of Architecture.

smells of nostalgia

marinid tombs

If you walk up to the top of the hill supporting the Marinid Tombs, you will find yourself at one of my favourite spots in Fes. Faced with some cracking views, visit as the sun sets. Don't stay too late though; the area attracts some characters come nightfall.

We met two boys on our way up, who told us to "broaden our minds," when we refused their invitation for a drink. As ridiculous as this was, it just happens all too often to girls the world over. Boys who do this aren't fooling anyone; there is no respect left for people who use insults in response to rejection.

We managed to get to the top of the hill without further harassment, and walked into the remains of a rather enormous tomb left by the Marinids, a structure maybe two or three stories high and pretty spacious. Whilst I was stood inside imagining what kind of superstar this tomb commemorated, Lindz and I minding our own business really, or you know, the Marinids' business, when we sensed that we were being watched.

As it turned out, an older teenage boy was inside the tomb too, halfway up the wall, making his presence known. A bit confused, but impressed by his Spiderman skills, we let him do his thing. He's the one in the top picture, on top of the world...