Tuesday 7 August 2012

Oculus


Oculus is a temporary public space created for London Festival of Architecture at South Crescent, Store Street (WC1) from 4th to 12th July 2012.

I was part of the Ramboll team that planned, designed, created, and installed the suspended lens part of the installation.  Roz Barr Architects designed the surface and seating formed by some 7000 sandbags.  We enjoyed kind support from a number of collaborators including NLA and The Building Centre.  Full credits can be found here.

The suspended lens is a structure that holds a pool of water in the air to create distorted views of the surroundings.  It acts as a direct mirror of the sandbag amphitheatre below at ground.

Photos are courtesy of me and Ramboll.





Tuesday 7 February 2012

The Realist's Wallet

It is a wonder the amount of excess we allow in our wallets.  Of course, those store cards and receipts are very rarely called upon.  We know this but do not take action.  We accept the bulge and piously carry it everywhere.

The Realist's Wallet has space only for a cash card, an Oyster card (for travel), and some notes.  We will find that we are not hindered by this small act of frugality.

The wallet is made of a few pieces of leather that are hand stitched with bright thread.  Detailing is simple and robust.  It is just bigger than a card and does not open up.  Notes are slid and hidden into the central compartment.