Studio 1: Unspoken Revolution

Studio philosophy

An experiential investigation into communities and hidden spatial events

The Unspoken Revolution explores the narrative of the Derelict, spanning sensory physical spaces, communities and those who sit on the fringe. The translation of the research aims, through creative process, to develop social awareness and community practice. The understanding of personalities, of community and materiality will be explored and expressed through dynamic exercises for architectural and interior interventions. 

How can we rebuild sustainable public areas, tapping into nostalgia that encourages physical meaningful interaction? How can we develop interior topography and spatial language that reflects and accommodate diverse human movement, developing relaxed, approachable spaces that the local community can embrace? The location for the projects will be within east London, including the Lea Valley. 

Who are the community?

"Kant once wrote space is public and time is private." (Boym, 2001) 

Yet as time shrinks in this digital era, space is now visible both within the physical environments and "through virtual transactions apparently obviating the need for face-to-face social interaction" (Thompson, 2001), creating inward facing dynamics. The need for public environments appears to be shrinking. "Can urban and architectural spaces also be planned to conform with human needs and impulses, rather than the other way round?" (Ball, 2005). Can the environment evoke a sense of belonging through the revealing of the building's personality, reaffirming the communities connection to it and those who once inhabited its confines?

"... nostalgia goes beyond individual psychology. At first glance, nostalgia is a longing for a place, but actually it is a yearning for a different time – the time of our childhood, the slower rhythms of our dreams. In a broader sense, nostalgia is a rebellion against the modern idea of time, the time of history and progress. The nostalgic desires to obliterate history and turn it into a private or collective mythology, to revisit time like space, refusing to surrender to the irreversibility of time that plagues the human condition." Svetlana Boym, The Future of Nostalgia.

Scope

The studio will be working with professional practices and clients that will enable the idea of the Unspoken Revolution to be explored through a number of mechanisms.  Data collection will be undertaken through video, drawing/illustration, and conceptual material exploration through sculpture, modelling and orthographic detailing, supported by critical theoretical approach. The aim is to challenge the process, thereby telling a story through unconventional representation, developing a questioning relationship with the viewer. The use of materiality to enhance the experience may enable a relationship to develop through direct contact with appropriate medium. 

Clients

Gill Parker BDG, Whitechapel Mission (Year 2 and 3), London Canal Museum (Year 2), Mentors: Gensler, Building Design Group.

Collaborations: Dong Yang Mirae University, Gachon University.

Events: London Festival of Architecture, National Association of Shop Fitters.

Study Trip: Madrid.

Processengaging, experimentation, evaluation and expression.

The projects range from: conceptual installation (year 2 and 3), interior and exterior interventions, systems and services (year 2 and 3), competitions (year 3), self-determined projects (year 3).

The project scope will encourage a range of outcomes suitable for your communities. This may include: community spaces, gathering, performance, work space, outlets, lost and future skills, archive and events.

The framework

The urban master planners and the local communities have to consider a more responsible composition of ideas to meet our environmental needs. Sustainable energy use and material choice are to be rewarded but how does this connect with the individual and the surroundings? The studio will investigate responsible approaches to materials and how new emerging technologies can have a positive impact on those who inhabit your spaces.

Mentored sessions will enable the participants to discuss and debate first-hand their ideas, through workshops, tutorials and critiques.  The studio is connected to a number of universities across the world, through a joint workshop. Dong Yang Mirae and Gachon Universities from South Korea will be undertaking the project within their own context and publishing their outcomes with ours. A joint blog and newspaper will allow for all participants to share ideas, process and practice. The year will end with a collaborative exhibition within the public realm.

Throughout this project there will be opportunities to develop: publications, exhibitions, demonstration to professional practice, work with a charity, volunteering and community workshops and events.

Learning and teaching

  • Investigation into community, environment and materials of the site, with an emphasis on building a strong narrative to support the design process.      
  • Development through extensive model making and fine art approaches, leading to a professional output.                        
  • Experimentation and discovery through traditional craft skills and digital media to demonstrate and further your ideas.                              
  • Workshops and competitions. Mentoring and critiques with professional practice. Producing a collaborative book for publication. Undertaking a series of exhibitions. Opportunities to win internships with leading practices.

Visits and exhibitions

Daniel Silver: Dig
The Odeon Site, 24 Grafton Way (off Tottenham Court Road), London WC1E 6DB.

Bibliography

Ball, F (2005) Critical Mass, Arrow London.
Boym, S (2001) The Future of Nostalgia, Basic Books. New York.
Ward Thompson, C (2002) Urban Open Space in 21st Century.

Semi-abstract pen drawing of figure wearing modern helmet with shadow behind

Details

Course Interior Design BA (Hons)
Interior Architecture and Design BA (Hons)
Tutors Janette Harris
Elizabeth Freemont
Where Studio 1, fifth floor, Commercial Road
When Tuesdays, Fridays
Website lizfreemont.com
Students
Moayad Ahmed
Cristiano Alves
Iocija Evangelina Cole
Adelina Galateanu
Tesa Herman
Petya Kalvacheva
Catarina Loureiro
Francesca Parpinel
Ammara Quadoos
Jon-Pierre Robinson
Ewelina Ruminska
Adeshina Solomon
Maria Tayyab
Martina Terracciano
Shamma Al Ali
Shkendije Bajraktari
Julie Berdou
Veronica Buzgau
Jowita Chanowska
Arina Darvaja
Charmaine Fearon
Enrique Santiago Gomez
Marek Jankovskij
Iliana Mitova
Alicja Mrowinska
Peju Oshin
Jody Phillips
Ricardo Samuel
Katherine Standen
Katie Underdown
Saba Zohrabbagi