Forever Forest, Endless Sea thumbnail 1
Forever Forest, Endless Sea thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level D , Case SB10, Shelf SH2

Forever Forest, Endless Sea

Architectural Model
2009 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Using the landscape of the Museum as a test site, the V&A invited nineteen architects to submit proposals for structures that examine notions of refuge and retreat. Responding to specific locations in the Museum, the architects explored themes such as study, work, play, performance and contemplation. Seven of the proposals were then selected for construction at full-scale.

These projects promoted an attitude to architecture where to 'dwell' meant something more than simply to find shelter. Each building invited the participation of the viewer. These immersive environments reawakened people's ability to inhabit architectural space on both a physical and an emotional level.

Inspired by fairytales, dreams and magic mirrors, the two proposals isolate and intensify natural elements found in the V&A's John Madejski Garden. They blur the boundaries between reality and invention. Situated on top of an ellipse pond and around a tree, each one uses mirrors to create an immersive, contemplative space - an infinite sea and an infinite forest.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleForever Forest, Endless Sea (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Acrylic mirror, metal mesh, plywood, silver and white paint, aspen branch, artificial turf, nylon
Brief description
Architectural model, for 1:1 Architects Build Small Spaces exhibition, 70°N Arkitektur, Tromso, 2009
Physical description
Architectural model, an acrylic mirror box, with one side open, surrounding an artificial tree made out of an aspen branch with nylon leaves; the exterior of the acrylic mirror box is covered with a thin layer of plastic; the box is fixed to a square plywood base, lightly painted white and inset with a square of green artificial turf; inside the box the turf is covered by a square of metal mesh and a metal mesh strip protrudes from one corner of the box overlapping the base.
Dimensions
  • Height: 32.7cm
  • Width: 27.7cm
  • Depth: 24cm
Style
Credit line
Given by 70°N Arkitektur
Summary
Using the landscape of the Museum as a test site, the V&A invited nineteen architects to submit proposals for structures that examine notions of refuge and retreat. Responding to specific locations in the Museum, the architects explored themes such as study, work, play, performance and contemplation. Seven of the proposals were then selected for construction at full-scale.

These projects promoted an attitude to architecture where to 'dwell' meant something more than simply to find shelter. Each building invited the participation of the viewer. These immersive environments reawakened people's ability to inhabit architectural space on both a physical and an emotional level.

Inspired by fairytales, dreams and magic mirrors, the two proposals isolate and intensify natural elements found in the V&A's John Madejski Garden. They blur the boundaries between reality and invention. Situated on top of an ellipse pond and around a tree, each one uses mirrors to create an immersive, contemplative space - an infinite sea and an infinite forest.
Bibliographic reference
Abraham Thomas, 1:1 Architects Build Small Spaces (London: V&A publications, 2010)
Collection
Accession number
E.1444-2010

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Record createdFebruary 1, 2011
Record URL
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