architecture – The Cultural Exposé

Something you should see… Serpentine Pavilion 2015

The Cultural Exposé — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 10:00:48 +0000

The highly-anticipated outdoor pavilion at London’s Serpentine Gallery is now welcoming visitors from around the world. The annual attraction, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary, has been designed by award-winning Spanish architects selgascano, headed by husband and wife duo José Selgas and Lucía Cano.

An aerial view of the 2015 Serpentine Pavilion filmed using a drone. #SerpentinePavilion #selgascano #aerial #drone

A video posted by Serpentine Galleries (@serpentineuk) on Jun 26, 2015 at 2:07am PDT

See more photos here.

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Something You Should See… Endless Stair

Lucy Palmer — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:32:33 +0000

Personally I blame the Shard, that’s what started this obsession with things in London being high and tall. There’s no more mere five storey buildings for us – if you don’t have to crane your neck to look at its very top, it’s just not getting built in the capital anymore. While not quite skyscraper status, the Endless Stair installation – with its 187 steps – will allow visitors to climb up towards the sky and provide a new viewing platform and feature in London’s attractions. The 436 metre interactive structure is made of a series of 20 interlocking staircases, inspired by drawings of M.C. Escher which is clearly evident when viewing the structure. From photos the piece slightly resembles a children’s jungle playground frame with visitors navigating the steps which turn up and down, left, right and everywhere testing our visual and physical perceptions. Located just outside the famous riverbank art space of the Tate Modern the new installation is being raved as one of the landmark and pivotal pieces from this year’s London Design Festival and was designed by architectural firm dRMM.Endless Stair can accommodate a maximum of 93 people at a time so arrive early or be prepared for queues. (Words: Lucy Palmer) On until 10th October 2013, admission is free. For more info, visit www.londondesignfestival.com/endless-stair

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Something you should see… Haroon Mirza at Lisson Gallery

Florence Ritter — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:22:59 +0000

The press release for Haroon Mirza’s show at Lisson Gallery leaves a lot to the imagination. Six simple bullet points give a very basic description of the works he has installed in the space. Point one: ‘a turntable piece’. Further down: ‘some light works’. Although Mirza’s installations’ have an unembellished, techno-functional aesthetic which matches these spare descriptions, conceptually they are rich and expansive far beyond physical form.

Mirza, winner of the Silver Lion Award for a promising young artist two years ago at the Venice Biennale, is known for his ambitious and ground-breaking work with sound, sculpture, space and light. His sensory immersive sonic environments reverberate through the rooms at Lisson Gallery: ‘it’s weird – you can feel it right through your body’ one visitor commented whilst standing in the ‘LED surround sound sequencer’ upstairs at the gallery. Another: ‘this is how my brain works’.

The ‘LED surround sound sequencer’ (another of the bullet points) can be found in an airless and grey soundproofed room, where a ring of speakers are linked up to a small ring of LEDs. The interlinking wires are pulled taut and precisely arranged in a kind of elegant 3-D line drawing, and the lights flash on and off in an unknown automated sequence, communicating with their opposite speakers which pulsate in tandem.

Downstairs, the spotless floor of the gallery is dotted with turntables, wires, pieces of vinyl and great wads of violently angular soundproofing foam mounted at different points on the walls. Crackling, scratching, whomp-whomping sounds pick their way across the room.

Mirzas’s work is not confined to the series of spaces at Lisson Gallery. This week will see the opening of a second audio composition and light installation at the Hepworth Wakefield, where Mirza works with the architecture to distort and change the displays of objects from the Hepworth’s collection of modern British painting and sculpture. His work also expands into the internet sphere, on Vinyl Factory‘s interactive website, where all of Mirza’s samples are available to play with. If you’re nifty with an MP4 and fancy yourself as a potential collaborator, there is also the chance to put together a track – which might even stand the chance of being released by the record label. (Words: Florence Ritter)

On until June 29th. For more info, visit: www.lissongallery.com/#/artists/haroon-mirza

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Somewhere you should go… the Big Rooftop Tea & Golf Party at Selfridges

Jane Duru — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 10:00:11 +0000

Prolific architectural jellymongers Bompass and Parr have been on a roll with their installations, but their latest offering – a crazy golf course on the roof of Selfridges London – is probably among the most ambitious. Inspired by the roof displays that the store used to have back in the 1930s, one of which included a mini golf course, each obstacle on the 9-hole course will take the form of a cake representing a London landmark.

Expect to navigate past a sugary Gherkin, icing-clad Big Ben and of course, in true Jubilee spirit (just in case you hadn’t had your fill), a baked Buckingham Palace. And if after a hard day’s golfing all that cake has your sweet tooth salivating, head across to the rooftop Daylesford Café where you can sample some 100% organic cakey goodness during afternoon tea from 12pm each day.

Advance tickets for June are now sold out but walk-up tickets are available in-store. Advance tickets for July will be released on June 15th, tickets for August will be released on July 13th and tickets for September will be released on August 17th at noon. For more info, visit The Selfridges website. (Words: Jane Duru)

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Somewhere you should go… Maltby Street market

Jane Duru — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:10 +0000

Borough market on a Saturday has gone from being a Londoner’s haunt to a tourist destination in its own right, up there with the London Dungeon and HMS Belfast. As good as it is, its popularity means the market can be overwhelmingly full come lunchtime. Luckily, for those craving the ethos and artisan quality of Borough without the scale and the crowds, there is a nearby alternative: Maltby Street market.

A 10 minutes stroll away in Bermondsey, set against the background rumble of passing overhead trains lies Maltby St, where a small cabal of stallholders and producers sell their wares from under the railway arches and various stalls. Consisting of no more than 25 producers, it’s a sort of foodie parade rather than outright market, starting with coffee enthusiasts’ favourite Monmouth Coffee selling their wares and ending with patisserie Comptoir Gourmand where, amongst other treats you’ll find pink raspberry meringues and giant chocolate cookies.

In between lies a range of stalls – and fish-lovers should try the smoked salmon from Norwegian producers Hansen and Lydersen, or alternatively, there’s barbecued mackerel baps marinated in Moroccan chermoulla from nearby Christchurch Fish. If meat’s more your thing, on offer are pastrami sandwiches from Monty’s Deli, and if you’re ever in need of wild boar salami, Maltby Street is the place.

It’s not all about the food though – LASSCO, the architectural salvage company, have their warehouse based here, the grittier counterpart to their Brunswick House outpost in Vauxhall. It’s well worth a detour to see all manner of rescued treasures, from large enamel sinks once owned by school art departments, to industrial light fittings; there’s even wooden planks from the Natural History Museum.

So next time a sunny Saturday rolls around and you want to get your foodie and furniture fix in one go, head over to the arches of Maltby, and stall-hop to your hearts content. Just don’t tell the tourists. (Words: Jane Duru, Pic: Marina Vidor)

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Somewhere you should go…London Design Festival 2011

Rachel Segal Hamilton — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:00:29 +0000

The capital’s creatives have had it scrawled in their diaries (in red Sharpie marker, naturally) for months. It’s a biggie, the London Design Festival – and now in its 9th year, it promises to be vaster and more exciting than ever. But, with a dizzying 250 events and exhibitions to choose from over nine days, it’s hard to know where to begin. We recommend kicking off at the festival’s core venue, the V&A, where you can grab a copy of the LDF guide before hitting the streets to explore what else is on offer. Then head down to ‘Cut it Out’ at Outline Editions, to check out new work by illustrator Noma Bar and bag your own limited edition artwork made with a giant, dog-shaped hole punch (no lies). Also, don’t miss ‘My London’ at Established & Sons, a series of collaborative installations by designers, artists and architects, paying homage to the big smoke, or ‘Mermaids‘ by Marcel Wanders, a watery re-imagining of Dutch design company Moooi’s London showroom. Finally, indulge your wildest foodie fantasies at a ‘secret sensory supper’ in the dramatic masonic temple room at Andaz Liverpool Street Hotel. And if that’s not enough, you can always get up the next day and start all over again. (Words: Rachel Segal Hamilton)

[stextbox id=”custom”]London Design Festival runs from 17 – 25 September 2011 at the V&A and other locations around London. For more info, visit londondesignfestival.com[/stextbox]

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Somewhere you should go…Open House London

Rachel Segal Hamilton — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:00:16 +0000

Ever secretly fancied taking a peek inside a stranger’s home? Well now is your chance. Open House London, the free annual architecture festival that lets you explore inside some of the capital’s most unusual and extravagant properties, is back.

Some of 2011’s quirkier examples are an ‘upside down house’ in Portobello and an eco-friendly hanging bathroom in Balham. But we’re not just talking luxury pads here. More than 700 buildings, of all varieties, will be open to visitors over the weekend of September 17-18, including the BT Tower, the Royal Albert Hall and Beefeater House, London’s last remaining premium-brand gin distillery. Plus at many of the sites, architects and engineers will be on hand to give you the expert lowdown on the design process.

And with a lively programme of talks, walks, boat and bike tours around this year’s theme of ‘the liveable city’, there’ll be plenty to satisfy curious minds – whether you’re a design devotee or just downright nosy. (Words: Rachel Segal Hamilton)

Open House London takes place on September 17 and 18 at various venues around London. Some viewings must be booked in advance. For more info, visit openhouselondon.org

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