Brentford Biopsy

On the 8th May a visit was arranged to the Watermans Art Centre in Brentford to take part in a workshop related to the 'Brentford Biopsy' project on display. The group was already familiar with the area due to our work with the nearby Watermans Park where we had been developing Landscape proposals.
The Brentford Biopsy exhibiton, created by artist Christian Nold relates to peoples feelings and perceptions of Brentford and includes some unusual mapping and analysis techniques. The group was split into two with each conducting a different excercise. One group was split into pairs, with one person blindfolded and earplugged there perceptions of the area were recoreded using the remaning senses of smell and touch. Meanwhile other members of the group were dispatched into the town wired up to a sensor and GPS handset. The purpose of this kit was to record feelings and reactions towards the experiences people had while in Brentford and then to use the GPS system to create a map of the route they had taken, picking out the emotional responces which were felt along the way. Both analysis methods held some interesting results which we had not considered at the beginning of the day. The activity certinally has the potential to enrich future landscape analysis.
Further details about the Brentford Biopsy exhibition are available at http://www.watermans.org.uk/take_part/brentford_biopsy/

First Sights- Weald & Downland Museum and Littlehampton

The story of this first sights day on 7th May really has to have been the weather! With soaring temperatures and a beautiful cloudless sky fourteen landscape architects piled onto a minibus to head south. The destination was unknown... but we all longed to end up at the seaside!
A little while later and we arrived at the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum near Chichester. The museum is an ecclectic collection of ancient buildings which have been salvaged from across this region of southern england and re-erected at the museum. The buildings include many common sights from an ancient village including a mill, blacksmith and of course residentual buildings. One of the highlights of our visit was to view the 'Gridshell' building, constructed by Edward Cullinan Architects, and completed in 2002. This curvacious 'green' structure is used to house the museums extensive collection of artefacts and also to provide a large workshop space. The building is a modern timber framed design, with wooded beams streaching the length and breadth of the building in a grid pattern in a shape resembling an egg shell pattern. The building is very efficient- designed to use a minimum of energy and to elliminate the need for lighting in the upper floor during daylight hours. The structure of the building is fascinating and it is interesting to see and hear how it was build and the challenges which were faced along the way. It also responds well to the environment with a natrual wood cladding and sinuous lines blending the structure into the hillside.


Having enjoyed a pleasant coulpe of hours at the museum we boarded the minibus for our other destination- the seaside! The primary purpose of the visit was to view the 'East Beach Cafe' on Littlehamptons seafront, designed by Heatherwick Studio. The cafe was a replacement for a common white-washed seafront structure, and is as big a contrast as is possible. The modern metal structure is layered to avoid flat surfaces and has an open face to the sea where shutters can be brought down over the cafe. The structure is certinally architecturally intersting, and makes a statement within the costal landscape, however I personally do not like it's form which seems rather out of place for the area.
Finally with the days work complete it was time to get on the beach and enjoy the sunshine!

The Salutation- Sandwich, Kent

Part of my assesment for my History and Cultural studies module involved writing an essay on the works of Landscape Architect Gurtrude Jekyll, her gardens and her relationship with architedt Edwyn Lutyens. Sadly Jekyll's premiere garden at her home, Munstead Wood, had not opened for the season- so instead I made a trip to The Salutation in Sandwich Kent to see another example of her work. The gardens here are unique in that it was Lutyens rather than Gekyll who carried out the majority of the design work, though the influence of Jekyll is clearly evident. The gardens are in the process of a complete restoration by the buildings current owners and opened to the public in 2007. The gardens here follow an architectural layout, often mirroring the rooms of the adjacent house. Fortunatly the weather for my visit was beautiful- and there was even some spare time afterwards for a walk along the beach in nearby Deal.