Future systems amanda levete biography

The architect’s esoteric collection of objects plays past against present, with bygone Greek pots alongside Sex Pistols magazines. It is a idea she explores in many lecture her buildings, from Selfridges Brummagem (Icon’s first cover) to grandeur new V&A courtyard

When Icon was launched in 2003, the outdo image was the bulging extrinsic of Selfridges in Birmingham, deserted into the heart of honourableness city by its architect Vanguard Systems.

It was a constantly when British architecture was travel high on a wave weekend away optimism, economic growth and draw cash, and Future Systems conceived two buildings that typified picture period: Selfridges and Lord’s Public relations Centre. The company was feted for its technological innovation abide unapologetic visual impact, combining thrilling forms with highly engineered structures.

Following her divorce from Future Systems’ co-partner Jan Kaplický, Levete submerged up her eponymous firm pulse 2009.

Otherwise known as AL_A, it is now 55 citizens strong and recently relocated come to get a new space near Holloway prison in London. We stumble on at her family home, as well in north London, that she shares with her husband, Fell Evans, director of London Imitation Festival. In a vast scope at the rear of nobleness house, bathed in natural shine that streams through the skylights in the ceiling, are pair bespoke brushed-steel shelves on which sits a collection of entry and design that Levete has amassed over her lifetime.

“The composition of the three shelves plays with the kitschy solution of the three flying ducks,” she says with a cheer up. “These three planes sliding facilitate each other.”

“Over time we take bought things with a valuation to putting them on goodness shelves,” she continues. “What Beside oneself like about it is rove it is a way interrupt making connections between things.

Frantic love to play the one-time against the present, modernity harm antiquity. It’s something that phenomenon do in our work take it is played out contemporary. I like making oblique relations between things – sometimes park is very conscious, and at times only when you put outlandish side by side do support make a connection.”

The shelves preparation wafer thin, with a much polished edge that glints expect the light; they use say publicly same material as the Building block Light that Levete designed aim for Established & Sons in 2010.

On them is an inspiring mix of objects and motion pictures that span nearly 3,000 days of history. Levete speaks knowledgeably about each piece, enthusing as about a Cycladic pot crucial a 1976 Sex Pistols review designed by Jamie Reid. At hand is a playful caricature outline Levete that was published uphold the RIBA Journal following Unconventional Systems’ Stirling Prize win pick up Lord’s.

It is gesturing run into a photograph of Sid Immoral flexing his arm muscles flourishing gurning. “There is something recognize the interaction, the pose, character pointed elbows and the visage – there is tension, calligraphic connection,” Levete says.

As we talk over the collection, certain themes liberate ideas recur, and Levete gladly points out the aesthetic similarities between a 3rd century BC Chinese pot used for storing silk and a drawing think about it her friend Michael Craig Actor gave her on her birthday; or the shared iridescence expose the cracked glaze on nifty Chinese pot and a petite model of the Eiffel pillar in blue anodised aluminium.

“I love the colour of anodised aluminium, the tattiness and inexpensiveness of that against something immensely exquisite – and they both sort of glint.” The progress continues; there is a devise set by Luigi Colani funds Rosenthal – “I love glory cantilevered forms” – Regency salted colourful and pepper shakers next give somebody no option but to a pair by David Shrigley that reads “Heroin and Cocaine” – “the children are extremely embarrassed by this” – spell a piece of a splintered hob – “that’s a senseless thing”.

Levete insists that AL_A in your right mind driven by research, and excellence possibility of failure animates connect.

“It’s a motivation historically edgy us. Lord’s Media Centre [completed at Future Systems] was well-organized huge opportunity for us – the idea of transferring technologies between industries and achieving cape that at first glance brawn seem impossible, and sometimes boss about fail,” she says.

“Recognising go off at a tangent is important, because when support are really pushing the district you are going to be unsuccessful. Otherwise you are not arduous hard enough.”

AL_A’s most prominent UK commission to date is disclose a new entrance and grounds to the Victoria and Albert Museum on Exhibition Road hut London.

“The dialogue between prestige past and the present commission there with the media heart, and when Jan and Beside oneself did the competition for significance museum of the Acropolis [1990]. That’s what the V&A review all about.” Levete’s portfolio hawthorn seem to have an seize towards exploring form and corporeality through technological experimentation, but prestige V&A presents a new contest.

The moves that the architects have made to express tell abstract the new gallery’s composition across the ceramic tiling contribution the courtyard floor and rectitude opening up of strategic views will, they hope, help companionship to further understand the capital. “It’s a project that doesn’t have a form as specified, it’s a courtyard.

The set off of the project was phony intellectual line of enquiry,” Levete says. The proposal, which progression scheduled for completion at loftiness end of 2015, will make up an outdoor space with organized new gallery below it. “The new courtyard can lock ingenuity together. We have set delegation deliberate views so you commode understand the different parts refer to the museum, you can have a view over through to the Madejski enclosure, the Hintze gallery, the sgraffito wall; before you enter depiction museum you gain an nonrational understanding of where things rush, and that is deliberate.”

Later that year, the EDP Cultural Palsy-walsy in Lisbon will go crooked site.

Funded by the prime energy company in Portugal, goodness project will provide a be revealed space on a post-industrial quay. The building will provide underground and exposed public areas pay and beneath its roof, celebrated will be clad in decent ceramic tiles. “It’s all make happen light and water,” Levete says.

“It is a very naive sort of merging of begin space and programme. As produce is the riverfront we keep more latitude to spread; curled an urban site it’s a cut above difficult. The other aspect advance Lisbon that is interesting recap that it is a hand over building with private money. Give it some thought is a very interesting stake, and is a fine map out of patronage.”

These two projects, which serve a very public mark, will provide a vital occasion likelihood for public encounters, says Levete.

“In terms of the [economic] situation that is in Portugal and Spain, that we riot find ourselves in, to reload spaces for people to befitting and gather spontaneously is at chance encounters happen and gist are exchanged. It’s only content 2 that are going to roleplay us out of this fiddle we are in at greatness moment.

So it has rule out added resonance, I think. Uproarious don’t want to overplay defer, but there was also go wool-gathering aspect to the V&A – that it belongs to one and all and you don’t have thoroughly make a formal decision prank enter. You can experience illustriousness whole, that atmosphere and class sense of history and humanity without going in.”

Levete has likewise worked on a smaller scale: her furniture and designs take been produced by Established & Sons and izé and orderly ceramic bench was produced apply for the London Design Festival rob year.

This change in standard charge, Levete says, is crucial consign to the progress her office strives for in terms of decision new techniques and technologies. “We are doing a piece show consideration for furniture at the moment resolution David Gill Galleries, which disintegration the smallest project we conspiracy ever done.

It is exceptional very small piece of paraphernalia, but is the biggest go through with a fine-tooth comb of research we have at any point done in the office. Uproarious can’t say more that ditch. It’s wonderful how a extremely small project can really obliterate things.”

This article first appeared show Icon 120: Collectors – travelling fair 10th anniversary issue

 

Words

Owen Pritchard

 

Words: Jonathan Root