Interim Review

The first stage was to initially research the Great Fire of London and the Blitz.  From this research a narrative had to be written and a way-station designed.

The narrative is about the Great Fire of London and the Blitz and how fire was extinguished from the city through containment or water.  It is based on personal accounts from diaries and letters, which were found at the British Library, the Museum of London and the London Metropolitan Archives.  I also visited the Monument (memorial to the Great Fire) and St Magnus the Martyr Church.  The style of writing is punchy emphasising feelings and visual imagery so the reader understands as much as possible.

From my research I plotted the emotive quotes onto historic maps of London and found areas of importance from the Great Fire and the Blitz.  This gave a structure for the narrative and a function for my way-station.

Samuel Pepys and Anthony Gormley

My initial understanding of the Great Fire of London 1666 led me to reading Samuel Pepys diary, which reminds me more of a historical account of events rather than a modern day diary, which focuses on a persons emotional response to events.  The way Samuel Pepys describes the Great Fire of London is very factual and from a safe distance away.  At my visit to Roche Court the Anthony Gormley statues caught my eye.  Metal men standing on the periphery of the farm, still and silently observing events.  The Anthony Gormley ‘Another Time’ statues are to me, a modern day interpretation of Samuel Pepys method of writing.

Reference:

Latham, R & Matthews, W (Eds.). (1972). The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Volume 7, 1666. London: Bell & Hyman Limited.

Salisbury Cathedral

The other half of our site visit was a visit to Salisbury Cathedral where a new font had been installed for the cathedrals’ 750 year celebration in 2008.  It was designed by William Pye  and is a working font used for baptisms for children and adults who require full immersion.  The font was concentrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury on 28 September 2008 and the oil marks are still present on it.  The water is always moving symbolising life and when the water is completely still it provides amazing reflections of the vaulted ceiling above.  The quotes on the side of the font read:

‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.’

‘And through the rivers they shall not overwhelm you.’

‘Do not fear for I have redeemed you’

‘I have called you by name you are mine.’

Reference:

Site Visit on 22^nd September 2011

Roche Court - Sculptures

One of the sculptures that I found specifically interesting in the park was ‘Bench 1’ designed by Practice Architecture (Paloma Gormley, Lettice Drake and Henry Stringer) in 2010, an amphitheatre made from recycled scaffolding.  The amphitheatre has good acoustics so is perfect to be used for discussions and debates.  The sculpture has in built drainage to help reduce the damage to the wood, which has already had a few pieces replaced.

Kenneth Armitage’s sculpture ‘Wall’ made in 1965 from bronze also interested me.  Looking through the funnels at different angles played with the sense of sight and forcing a viewpoint as well a the sense of sound depending on which way you spoke into the cone.

Another piece that sparked my imagination was the Richard Long’s Tame Buzzard Line made from flint in 2001.  Photographing this inspired me to think about distance, perspective and also route.  This also made me think back to the idea of the Fire of London and how the city was burned and buried underneath the new city, unlike this sculpture which reveals the materiality of what is underneath the earth; flint and stones.

Another piece, which interested me was Anthony Gormley’s ‘Another Time XII’ made from cast iron in 2010.  The statues are at different points over the farm and seem to be  objectively observing the landscape they are in.

Reference:

Site Visit with tour on 22^nd September 2011

New Art Centre (2006-10). New Art Centre. Retrieved September 24, 2011, from www.sculpture.uk.com

Roche Court - Artists' House

The success of the art gallery allowed the New Art Centre to build a small artists house on site in 2001.  The inspiration for this development was Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge.  The initial aim for the house was for artists to have somewhere to stay if they were visiting or exhibiting.  However, it I now used more as an educational and exhibition space rather than a living space.  The house was designed to be flexible with hidden functions including the kitchen sinks and hobs.

The layout of the artists’ house was designed for the main living space to be upstairs on the first floor and the sleeping space and bathroom on the ground.  This allows for the living space to have more light through the large area of glazing and roof light.  The large bank outside the building was moved a few metres back to also allow for more light.  The furniture inside the house was specially designed for the space by a range of students as well as furniture designers.  Everything in the house is flush and minimal including the seamless glass.

Roche Court - Gallery

As a studio we visited Roche Court in Wiltshire, a working farm with 60 acres of land dedicated to sculptural works of art.  The New Art Centre was founded in 1958 in Sloane Square until 1994 when it was relocated to Wiltshire.  The centre has 4 to 5 exhibitions a year.  The house on the farm was built in 1804 and is still a private home.  There is also a gallery on site, which has won 6 architectural awards including the RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize for best small building.  It was designed by Stephen Marshall for more vulnerable works and paintings that could not be exhibited outside.

One of the special design features of the gallery is the curtain wall glazing that doesn’t meet.  This allows for the art-work to breathe creating the correct temperature and humidity inside the exhibition space.  The concrete floor in the gallery is stepped giving the illusion of 1 large space or 3 separate smaller spaces.  There is a large overhang on the front of the building, which mimics the overhang of the roof on the 1804 manor house.  The vertical timber doors mimic the columns on the orangey to which it is attached.  Due to the large glass frontage the gallery doesn’t feel separate from the park therefore the artists like using it.  The back wall in the gallery is also naturally lit from a glass panel in the roof.  This allows art works on the walls to be viewed from the gardens, minimising reflections from the glass.

Area of Interest

One of my main interests is the Great Fire of London in 1666.  The idea that there is a lost society and town in ashes under modern London fascinates me.  I would like to study the changes in society in London before and after the Great Fire, the change in London’s aesthetic and the role of the Thames.  Another major event in history, which led to large fires in London was the Blitz during World War 2.  This also had some similar effects, which I would like to explore too.