Studio 5: Aberrant Architecture

Studio brief

The Tribes We Lead

Investigating the Super Specific

The subdivision of society into ‘tribes' or 'gangs' is a typically British phenomenon. Defined as a distinct group of people, a tribe might be everyone in a certain village or a small group of individuals. Companies and organizations have always created their own tribes, of employees or customers, and now that the internet has eliminated geography, tribes are not only bigger but also more numerous and diverse than ever before. 

As our global communities become more alike, increasingly losing their idiosyncrasies and local identities, our core interest lies in a reverse globalization, exploring how we can create super specific designs, for super specific lifestyles, in super specific places. 

This year, our projects will identify and reveal stories about new London tribes, showcasing how their members really live, work and play. What are the codes of these new 'urban tribes'? Are they really that different to those of primitive or 'ancient' tribes? What rituals bond these people together? How do they identify each other as being part of the same tribe? What are the secret codes that exclude the uninitiated? How could these codes translate into the design of spaces? We will use this research and stories both as a design tool and as a way to question and speculate on visionary new environments. 

Our site is Bethnal Green Road, a rich urban fabric which is home to a huge variety of indigenous tribes. We will investigate a series of moments along the road designated as popular social centres or spaces where people predominately meet to form groups. From pubs to the old town hall, we will investigate why society tends to segregate into smaller groups and factions, in order to define an identity, and how we as designers can create specific environments for such collectives.

Aberrant Architecture / The Tiny Travelling Theatre

Details

Course Interior Architecture and Design BA (Hons)
Tutor Kevin Haley
Josephine Neill
David Chambers
Where Commercial Road, Studio 5, 5th Floor
When Tuesday and Friday

Katrina AUSTEN
Mariachiara DAL POZZO
Rosa GASKIN
Emma GUARD
Tasni MINNS
Rhabia NABI
Marcela SMITH
Roberto SOTGIU
Sophie WOODBRIDGE
Sandra WOZNY
Giulia ZANOTTI
 
Manaar AL-HASSANI
Ehsan AMIRI
Aletha BAIRD
Spaska BONDARENKO
Afroditi-Athina CHRISTOFI
Harry CLAYTON
Marika HEIKKILA
Azadeh KAZEMI
Vasiliki PAPAZOGLOU
Mariam QAYUMI
Aleksandra SOBOLEVA
Stanimira VELIKOVA