Inhabitable Models The Venice Biennale 2012
"Three London architecture practices (Lynch architects, Eric Parry architects and Haworth Tompkins) were asked to collaborate for the biennale on an installation depicting the city, but also demonstrating an attitude to design that seems characteristic of the place. Each of these architects takes the city as a given, as an existing common ground to be understood and adjusted with full reference to the context. Each architect has brought a large-scale model of one of their buildings to the Arsenale, pieces they describe as inhabitable models. Each one demonstrates a relationship with the viewer that is articulated through art, each façade providing a setting for artworks. Behind these large fragments are a variety of media that describe their understanding of the historical and architectural richness of the London contexts in which they work."
Sir David Chipperfield
'Inhabitable Models' is a phrase used by Sir John Summerson in his essay 'Heavenly Mansions' to describe the fascination of niches, and of the ability of the imagination to inhabit buildings, actually and by proxy, with sculpture.
As well as constructing a 1/3 scale model of our Victoria Library facade out of engineered timber, we commissioned a number of films and objects from artists that are collaborating with us on our Victoria Street projects. Rut Blees Luxemburg made her first film, 'London Dust', and David Grandorge's photographs of Westminster were shown as a slide show accompanied by a sound track of interviews with Joseph Rykwert and Dalibor Vesely.
Sue Barr and David Heathcote made a film 'Elements of the Scene', which was projected onto a wall. A long table exhited drawings and models of our Victoria Street projects as well as sculptures by Hilary Koob-Sassen and Joel Tomlin. Other objects on the table included Glass-Reinforced Concrete panels by Graphic Relief and two door handles that we have designed for Izé. One of the columns of the 1/3 scale timber facade model was made of granite and was carved with Timorous Beastie's pattern 'Birdbranch'.
