London Festival of ARchitecture History - 2017 - Memory

After Image was the first edition of the Dulwich Pavilion, a design competition by the LFA and Dulwich Picture Gallery to celebrate the Gallery’s bicentenary year, and open up who has access to cultural space. Responding to the solidity and monolithic nature of Sir John Soane’s gallery, and the porous, ever-changing nature of the landscape, After Image mediates between the two, breaking down their delineation and creating a new visual experience for the gallery’s visitors. A series of translucent mirrored screens—some fixed, some movable—reflected and disrupted the context. Fragments of the building appeared in the landscape, and fragments of the landscape in the building, while the translucency of the screens created an overlay of moving images: of building, of landscape, of personal reflection and of others beyond.

Find out more about the project here. 

Drawing on the 2017 London Festival of Architecture memory theme, author and critic Robert Bevan chaired a panel discussion exploring the politics and challenges of protecting and preserving cultural heritage in post-conflict contexts. The event at the Victoria and Albert Museum, organised by the British Council and Historic England, featured a panel of international speakers who explored addressed identity, place and memory, and examined the impact of digital technology and the future of preservation.

In one of the most unusual London Festival of Architecture’s events in 2017, composer Benjamin Tassie and poet Anna Freud presented a surround-sound live choir installation at the disused Carlsberg Tetley building in Silvertown.

One of the highlights of a series of LFA events taking place across the Royal Docks area, the event also featured a tour of the derelict 1960s Brutalist building by architects SODA, who are overseeing its transformation into a local arts hub. The contemporary choral work by Benjamin Tassie set new text by Annie Freud, who had researched the geography and history of Silvertown from its industrial heyday to more recent decline.

2017's festival saw architecture and design royalty recreate the world’s most iconic buildings out of cake. The bakers were asked to produce architectural, gastronomic creations that the festival’s theme of ‘memory’ and the results did not disappoint.

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners claimed the coveted title of 2017 architectural baking champion with a gingerbread interpretation of their design for the former bullring Arenas de Barcelona. SOM was awarded ‘Tastiest Bake’ for their hazelnut infused Bienecke Library and WATG & Wimberly Interiors received an honourable mention for their edible Cathédrale de Brasilia, constructed with marbled sugar glass.

Women’s contribution to the built environment continues to be under-represented or overlooked. While reports of gender imbalances across the construction sector regularly highlight the issues and suggest solutions, the problems persist. Our Women in the Built Environment Breakfast, hosted by Mount Anvil, brought together women working in construction, design, engineering and place-making in London and beyond. Cllr Lib Peck – Leader of Lambeth Council – chaired a panel of influential and inspirational women working across the construction industry, demonstrating how women can lead the way as designers, clients and decision-makers.