Reinterpreting the Primitive Hut: a collaborative installation
from The Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design & Sir
John Soane’s Museum
2 June – 6 July 2015
Sir John Soane’s Museum
RA Lecture Drawings to illustrate Primitive Huts - interior perspective of a primitive hut
with internal pillars and side aisles ©Sir John Soane’s Museum
Sir John Soane’s Museum has invited students from seven architectural
units at The Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture & Design, London
Metropolitan University, to respond to the theme of the Primitive Hut
using Soane’s own research and materials, and then develop an installation
that will sit outside the Museum throughout June as part of the London
Festival of Architecture.
Press contacts at Caro Communications, 020 7713 9388, @carocomms
Marta Bogna: marta@carocommunications.com; Jordan Lewis: jordan@carocommunications.com
Rachael Jones: rachael@carocommunications.com
The students and tutors from each unit – the latter of which includes
Florian Beigel, Philip Christou, Stephen Taylor, Pierre D’Avoine and the Free
Unit led by Robert Mull - were given unique access to Soane’s extensive
collection on the subject, including drawings, books and models that he
used to teach his own architecture students. The Cass students were also
provided with texts relating to Primitive Huts, such as Marc-Antoine
Laugier’s 1755 Essay on Architecture.
Drawing on these materials, and with references to contemporary culture,
students from each unit designed their reinterpretation of the Primitive Hut
and made models to be exhibited outside the Museum from 2 June to 6
July, also coinciding with the London Festival of Architecture, which
celebrates architecture throughout London during the month of June. The
models take the form of 1:1 scale vertical sections, which will be displayed
on plinths overlooking Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
Each model showcases a different, modern-day response to the rich history
and theory of the Primitive Hut. The designs utilise ideas of craft and
simple manufacturing techniques used by early man to create
contemporary shelter concepts. Although the units were given the same
resources, the resulting designs are hugely diverse in terms of shape and
material.
Press contacts at Caro Communications, 020 7713 9388, @carocomms
Marta Bogna: marta@carocommunications.com; Jordan Lewis: jordan@carocommunications.com
Rachael Jones: rachael@carocommunications.com
The winning design by Unit 10, daytime view
On the collaboration, Dean of The Cass Robert Mull commented,
“Our collaboration with the Soane museum grew out of a conversation
with Abraham Thomas and his colleagues during which we realised we had
a common interest in live projects and making at full scale as a way of
teaching and exploring architectural ideas. Soane’s idea of the Primitive
Hut proved a provocative starting point, which challenged the tired idea of
the pop up and resulted in proposals with strong material and social
ambitions. The Cass wants to thank Abraham and his colleagues at the
Soane Museum and congratulate our winner.”
To select an overall winner the projects were judged by an expert panel
made up of Abraham Thomas, Director of Sir John Soane’s Museum, Ellis
Press contacts at Caro Communications, 020 7713 9388, @carocomms
Marta Bogna: marta@carocommunications.com; Jordan Lewis: jordan@carocommunications.com
Rachael Jones: rachael@carocommunications.com
Woodman, Director of the Architecture Foundation, Joseph Rykwert,
architectural historian and authority on Primitive Huts and Anne Markey of
Cass Projects.
Unit 10 - tutored by Signy Svalastoga, Jonathan Cook and Edward Simpson
– was awarded first place. Through their design, the students from Unit 10
aimed to explore the fundamental and timeless relationship that shelter
makes in negotiating the ground and external environment, using the
directness and intimacy of the Primitive Hut as a starting point. The
students proposed to construct a full-size version of their design by
reusing material from demolition companies around London, with the aim
of getting the materials sponsored by the companies in order to reduce
building costs.
On the winning design by Unit 10, Abraham Thomas comments,
“I was very impressed with the range and quality of all the entries –
especially in terms of the material expression, and I would like to thank all
of the units that participated. I thought that this was particularly strong in
the Unit 10 submission, the overall winner, which took an ordinary suite of
materials and made them extraordinary. Taking concrete and rebar, and
applying a combination of polishing and oxidising respectively leaves us
with a poetic reveal of materiality and a celebration of the everyday. The
proposed pavilions would appear as a disparate group of fragments of
ruined buildings – something that would have amused and intrigued John
Soane if he were looking out on to Lincoln’s Inn Fields today from his front
windows at No 13.”
Press contacts at Caro Communications, 020 7713 9388, @carocomms
Marta Bogna: marta@carocommunications.com; Jordan Lewis: jordan@carocommunications.com
Rachael Jones: rachael@carocommunications.com
Reinterpreting the Primitive Hut will be on display outside Sir John Soane’s
Museum between 2 June and 6 July as part of the London Festival of
Architecture 2015.
ENDS
Listings
Exhibition:
Reinterpreting the Primitive Hut
Dates:
2 June – 6 July 2015
Address:
Sir John Soane’s Museum: 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields,
London WC2A 3BP
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Saturday 10am-5pm. Last entry 4:30pm
Admission:
Free
PRESS OFFICE Contact details
Press Office at Caro Communications; 020 7713 9388; @carocomms
Marta Bogna, Account Director marta@carocommunications.com
Jordan Lewis, Account Manager jordan@carocommunications.com
Rachael Jones, Account Executive rachael@carocommunications.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Cass
The Cass is the Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design,
London Metropolitan University. It is one of four faculties within the
University. The Cass teaches about 2500 students at Foundation, Degree
and Postgraduate level at two buildings in Aldgate. Subjects include
Animation, Architecture, Film Production, Fine Art, Fashion, Furniture,
Graphics, Illustration, Interior Design, Jewellery, Music Technology, Musical
Instrument Making, Photography, Product Design and Textiles. The Faculty
also offers 200 short and professional development courses. There is a
Press contacts at Caro Communications, 020 7713 9388, @carocomms
Marta Bogna: marta@carocommunications.com; Jordan Lewis: jordan@carocommunications.com
Rachael Jones: rachael@carocommunications.com
strong emphasis across the studios on socially engaged Architecture, Art
and Design applied to both local and global contexts, a Faculty-wide
interest in making and many projects focus on aspects of London.
Students at The Cass are encouraged to learn through practice, experiment
with process and gain real-world experience in both individual and
collaborative projects, engaging with professionals, communities and
companies.
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Sir John Soane’s house, museum and library at No. 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
has been a public museum since the early 19th century. On his
appointment as Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy in 1806,
Soane (1753-1837) began to arrange his books, classical antiquities, casts
and models so that students of architecture might benefit from access to
them. In 1833 he negotiated an Act of Parliament to preserve the house
and collection after his death for the benefit of ‘amateurs and students’ in
architecture, painting and sculpture. Today Sir John Soane’s Museum is
one of the country’s most unusual and significant museums with a
continuing and developing commitment to education and creative
inspiration. The museum is open free: Tuesday to Saturday inclusive, 10am5pm. It is also open on the first Tuesday evening of each month from 69pm. www.soane.org
Sir John Soane’s Museum is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB)
whose prime sponsor is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
London Festival of Architecture
The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) celebrates London as a global
hub of architectural experimentation, practice and debate. Taking place
Press contacts at Caro Communications, 020 7713 9388, @carocomms
Marta Bogna: marta@carocommunications.com; Jordan Lewis: jordan@carocommunications.com
Rachael Jones: rachael@carocommunications.com
throughout June, the annual festival provokes questions about the
contemporary and future life of the city, and promotes positive change to
its public realm. The city-wide programme is delivered with leading cultural
and academic institutions alongside associated projects by practices and
individuals.
www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org
@LFArchitecture
#LFA2015
facebook.com/LondonFestivalofArchitecture
Press contacts at Caro Communications, 020 7713 9388, @carocomms
Marta Bogna: marta@carocommunications.com; Jordan Lewis: jordan@carocommunications.com
Rachael Jones: rachael@carocommunications.com