Architecture
As part of London Design Festival 2013, there was an installation by Tate Modern by dRMM architects - endless stairs. There is something Escher-esque about it. I love its simple design and good detailing. It intrigues and fascinates the users. A stair that leads nowhere.
When we first got to Norfolk, the base structure was wobbly. A timber member was broken when Jack tried to balance his whole weight on it. We didn't quite know what it was going to be except that it will have a seat and some string draped across it. By Sunday, the structure was sound and the floor boards and seat stuck on. We even came up with a few ideas for the details of how the string will work with the folly and did some testing before we left. Last weekend, whilst I was at Street Feast London, the boys were in Norfolk with other friends and made great progress with the string design. You can see it in the last photo (not taken by me as I was not there!) So great to see all the hard work come together in the end.
Last weekend, I was away at a friend's grandmother's house near Norwich. The program for the weekend was to design and build a folly in the garden. The basic frame was done by the two boys prior as they dreamt up this mini-project before they went back to university in Copenhagen. We spent both Saturday and Sunday brainstorming, organising, drawing, working and cooking! Being an architect these days means drawing on the computer screen and occasionally, sketching on paper and hand making a model. I picked up a saw for the first time and enjoyed being able to build what we drew. There were mistakes made then corrections but there were also brilliant ideas and detailing happening right before our eyes. By the end of day one, we were all exhausted and fell asleep on the couch watching Bourne Identity. Stay tune for Part II.
Every year over summer, the design geek in me gets excited over the Serpentine Pavilion in Hyde Park. This year, it is Sou Fujimoto who designed the 'cloud-like' temporary structure commissioned by Serpentine Gallery. It's amazing to see how people use this space. I enjoy observing how people interact with the space. Architecture evokes emotions and behaviours. Over the couple of times that I have visited this summer, I love watching children explore the structure, climbing and trying to find the next lattice to latch on. If you haven't seen this space, it is in Hyde Park until 20th October.
