Architectural photographer Jim Stephenson explains how The Architect Has Left The Constructing exhibition at RIBA goals to attract consideration to how folks use buildings, on this interview.
Regardless of happening on the Structure Gallery on the Royal Institute of British Architects’ central London HQ, Stephenson instructed Dezeen that the exhibition is just not centered on buildings.
“The set up is about folks watching,” he stated. “Though it is on the RIBA and within the structure gallery, it is not likely concerning the buildings – they’re simply the backdrop, they’re the stage set actually.”
“We wished to create a meditative, massive scale movie piece that was all about how folks use (and misuse) house as soon as the architect’s work is finished,” he continued.
Because the exhibition’s title suggests, the exhibition focuses on how buildings are used after the architect’s work is completed.
It goals to indicate buildings in use, in distinction to nearly all of architectural images that always portrays buildings empty, at their level of completion.
“Once I used to work in structure practices, we used to design the whole lot round folks and context,” defined Stephenson. “It felt like the whole lot was dictated by these two issues after which once we would get initiatives photographed we would ask the photographer to omit these two issues.”
“The buildings have been empty objects – sculptures,” he continued. “It at all times jarred with me, so in our work we concentrate on folks utilizing house as a lot as doable.”
The exhibition embrace quite a few photographs taken by Stephenson, together with an enclosed screening room, the place a movie created for the exhibition was performed on a twin display.
“This movie is all concerning the small interactions that happen in and round buildings – between people, teams of individuals and even between folks and the buildings,” stated Stephenson. “It is all concerning the folks!”
The movie, which was created with artist Sofia Smith and has a soundtrack created by Simon James, comprises quite a few up to date buildings from the previous 15 years.
Among the many buildings featured are Tintagel Fort Bridge by William Matthews Architects, Tate St Ives extension by Jamie Fobert, Sands Finish Arts and Neighborhood Centre by Mae Architects and London Bridge Station by Grimshaw, which have been all shortlisted for the Stirling Prize.
The movie makes goals to makes folks take into consideration the connections between buildings and the way persons are related to them.
“Watching Sofia make visible hyperlinks between buildings that I hadn’t beforehand thought-about to have a lot in widespread was fascinating,” defined Stephenson.
“There is a level within the movie the place we transition from Sands Finish Neighborhood Centre to Tintagel footbridge and it is seamless – from a group centre in West London to a bridge over the ocean in Cornwall!”
“And at London Bridge prepare station, Simon recorded not simply the ambient sound that everybody can hear, however he additionally recorded the internal guts of the constructing with contact mics, in addition to the sound within the electromagnetic spectrum,” he continued. “All these sounds get layered up within the present and I am unable to undergo that station now with out fascinated about them.”
Stephenson hopes that the movie will exhibit how folks enhance architectural areas and the way they’re recorded.
“The historical past of architectural images is dominated by empty, shiny, new buildings, photographed earlier than folks have are available,” stated Stephenson.
“I believe there was a worry amongst architects that folks ‘mess up their constructing’ and photographing them empty by some means confirmed the structure in a extra pure and distilled manner,” he continued.
“I believe that is mad. If the folks you designed the constructing for are ‘messing it up’ then possibly there’s one thing flawed with the constructing? I am half joking, however I’ve by no means documented an area that wasn’t improved by folks, or on the very least an indication of life.”
One of many UK’s best-known architectural photographers, Stephenson co-founded movie manufacturing studio Stephenson& with Smith. Latest initiatives photographed by Stephenson embrace a wood-lined group house in east London, a rammed-earth yoga studio to the gardens of Somerset lodge and a rolling bridge in London.
Latest buildings captured on movie by Stephenson& embrace a customer centre on the UK’s largest sawmill and a college theatre by Jonathan Tuckey Design in London.
The images is by Agnese Sanvito, until acknowledged. The movie is by Jim Stephenson and Sofia Smith with soundtrack by Simon James.
The Architect Has Left The Constructing is at RIBA in London till 12 August 2023. See Dezeen Occasions Information for an up-to-date listing of structure and design occasions happening around the globe.
