Supported by the ReCreate/Interreg funding, Stage 2 students on the Interior Architecture and Design BA course at UCA Canterbury are designing and building a 1:1 scale installation for Margate.
This project is part of an course-wide enquiry into the role of interior architecture and design in urban renewal, and more specifically in the regeneration of coastal towns in decay.
The installation explores the idea of a contemporary forum; a place for discussion and events and a medium for the sharing of ideas about regeneration and ‘meantime’ projects. The installation will be based on the concept of the Georgian Reading Room which were a popular attraction for holidaymakers. These spaces were a cross between a library, museum of curiosities, games room and gossip hub and hosted public events, organised raffles and card tournaments and lectures on the latest scientific discoveries.
The Reading Room will be installed in Pettman’s Depository, Margate in November 2013 where it will host a week of events. These will include talks by local creative practitioners, local individuals involved in policy and development of the town and UCA academics. Topics for discussion will include urban regeneration, ‘meantime’ projects and collaborative creative practice. Film showings, pecha kuchas, music recitals and exhibitions will also form part of the programme. These events will be an opportunity to promote urban coastal communities, share experiences and develop networks between local creative entrepreneurs, UCA and the wider public.
Following its installation in Margate, the Reading Room will return to UCA where it will become an archive for the students’ outputs throughout the year and a space for group working, tutorials and exhibitions. During the summer of 2014 the Reading Room will travel to destinations along the Kent coast including being exhibited in Folkestone during the Triennial. We aim to take the Reading Room to France in 2014 as a catalyst for cross-border discussions and collaborations with ReCreate partners sharing ideas and experiences of urban regeneration.
The Reading Room will be built predominantly from timber. The students will be taught jointing and other fabrication techniques through a series of tailored workshops at UCA. They will look at historic and contemporary precedents of timber construction and installation projects. Links have been established with TRADA who will be involved in workshops exploring the possibilities for timber in Interior Architecture.
No comments:
Post a Comment