Sensing Spaces: Architecture Re-Imagined at the Royal Academy
25th January - 6th April
"Seven architectural practices from six countries and four continents. 23, 000 square feet. 72 days. One monumental exhibition"
On saturday morning I dived into the Royal Academy, waved my pass and weaved through the hoards of buzzing tourists into the main hall. I was stopped in my tracks by the incredible sight ahead of me. The different structures, colours, scents, lighting and diverse range of architectural interpretations of the title were overwhelming. Suddenly, rooms we have been used to housing a modest array of small works were inhabited by vast, interactive structures as if we were living within a scene from Alice in Wonderland. My favourite piece was Kengo Kuma's dark room of beautifully lit intricate patterns of bamboo, but there were a few others that caught my eye...
Diébédo Francis Kéré's installation was perhaps the most interactive, inviting the audience to help 'build' the structure by pushing colourful straws into its walls. It makes the point that we should interact with the space around us and his thought process is best described by his own words...
"I believe it is important to involve people in the process of building so they have an investment in what is developed. Through thinking and working together people find that the built object becomes part of a bonding experience".
The Irish group Grafton Architects produced an installation, which hang from the ceiling creating a solemn atmosphere as it cast a grey filter over the room's light. However, it also had a calming effect on the audience, many of which had chosen solitary corners to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the feeling of serenity that came with the darkness.
Despite the fact that Pezo von Ellrichshausen seems to have captured people's imagination, I was not so convinced. Yes, it is amazing to climb a staircase and touch the ornate mouldings of the Royal Academies ceilings, but in my opinion it was more of a jungle-gym for parents to leave their children than a work of art.
Finally, I also loved the library created by the Architect Li Xiaodong who examines the concept of space within his native Chinese context. It was a wonderful experience wandering through the labyrinth of hazel branches in his metaphorical forest and stumbling upon little nooks to sit and read for a moment. Eventually the audience emerges into the zen garden with a floor of pebbles, which many audience members chose to lie down on to feel the texture against their skin.
