Radical Nature @ The Barbican

I trekked across London last week to catch this exhibition before it closed. Radical Nature: Art and Architecture for a changing planet was to me a bit of a disappointment. I don't want to be too harsh as individually there where some exciting pieces; instead my dissolution rests with the organizers of the exhibition, who put together something that was shoddily presented and with no real narrative to drive the spectator through the space. Dealing with such a relevant issue of the relationship between nature and architecture it failed to make any clear statement- most of the pieces being highly conceptual and unable to relate to contemporary life. The curators chose pieces that were not subtle about their chosen subject, In fact many seemed to shout "Im an artist dealing with nature!", an example of this poster art being the section of rainforest tipped on its side in Henrik Hakansson's Fallen Forest (2006). Having been to so many wonderfully exhibitions of late that employ a meaningful narrative that enhance the spectators experience, it was hard to feel that they had got the most out of this topic at the Barbican.

Telling Tales @ The V&A

This current exhibition explores the unique and high-end pieces of contemporary designers who deal with themes of opulence, fantasy and nightmare. We visited on a busy saturday afternoon which meant that the surreal atmosphere constructed by the curators was partly destroyed by the bustle of visitors. Spectators 'oohd' and 'arrd' at the sensationalist design pieces - a favorite being the bath in the form of a boat. Personally, I enjoyed many of the pieces, and found the theatrical stage set upon which they were placed was a good way of presenting them in there full glory. The latter part of the exhibition which dealt with the theme of nightmares was less successful in this regard. Pieces where obscured by fragmentary viewing windows which, instead of providing a justified framing became irritating, complicating the spectators experience to an unnecessary degree.

Serpentine Pavillion 2009

I went to visit the new serpentine pavilion last week with Ricardo and Beefy in a rare moment of sunshine across London town. It is designed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA. By reading the information available I learnt that the intended effect of the thin aluminum sheets that forms the piece, was to blend into its surroundings - almost camouflaged. Although on first arrival you are met by an apparent airiness, as my friends pointed out, the low sheets and haphazard arrangement was somewhat imposing.

AA Summer Dazzler

The new summer pavilion is up in Bedford Square - and this year it is particularly stunning. It is a very sculptural piece that doesn't exactly provide shelter like a traditional pavilion. Instead, it creates an encapsulated space inside its undulating form. Reminiscent of Heatherwick's monocoque shell in his East Beach Cafe - the design was derived from organic forms such as driftwood. I specifically like the way the shape works around the existing lamppost on the square... although seemingly alien it manages to connect intuitively to its site.

Alcoholic Architecture

In a little shop off Carnaby street, Bompas and Parr - two predictably eccentric englishmen (pictured above) have created the first walk in cocktail! Once you arrive at your designated time slot, you are channelled into girl/boy changing rooms where you are given white jumpsuits (this in itself was very exciting to me). You proceed through the bar and down the stairs into a mirky basement where you enter a sticky room which is supposed to be like walking into a giant glass of Gin and Tonic- a solitary green light, a giant slice of lime and a big straw are within to add to the effect. The alcoholic vapour inside the room was definitely potent, though we couldn't be entirely objective as we had had some gin in liquid form a little earlier- dooogh! Although we were in an adventurous mood we didn't actually manage to stay down in the room for too long as it became quite claustrophobic and everything became sticky, which was not helped by the particularly humid weather outside. Alcoholic Architecture is really an interactive art installation that relies more on causing a stir then actual substance, however, I have to confess a weakness for a gimmick and this certainly fulfilled my sillyness quotient for a while.

(Photos provided by Fung Boy Ltd.)

East Beach Cafe

We went to this new beach side cafe in littlehampton today for lunch. It is designed by Thomas Heatherwick who is one of my favourite architects/designers at the moment. The cool sculptural shape (which has been likened to drift wood washed up by the shore) is made out of a rusted mild steel monocoque shell. Having looked at many photos of the building prior to the visit I was really surprised at its slender size, but my adoration of the design was not altered, plus - they have really good fish and chips which is always a nice bonus!

An Atlas of Fabrication @ AA

The current exhibition at my school shows the work of the Barkow Leibinger Architecture firm which is based in Berlin. It demonstrates the experimental nature of contemporary practices who spend a lot of time researching structure through materiality. The small exhibition reads like a catalogue of textures, rather than the integrated design of spaces - still, quite an interesting little show to fill up my lunch break today.