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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level D , Case SB11, Shelf SH2

An Infinite Vision of Summer

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.

This project evokes the sights, smells and textures of summer. At the heart of the structure is a meditation chamber. Visitors would enter it barefoot, so feeling the sea of barley grain that floods the room. They might then lie down in the bathtubs and enjoy a view of the suspended upside-down barley fields, swaying gently in an artificial breeze.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleAn Infinite Vision of Summer (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Gypsum, polystyrene and couscous
Brief description
Model, 'An Infinite Vision of Summer', 1:1 Architects Build Small Spaces exhibition, Anna Heringer, Linz, 2009
Physical description
A model of a chamber, made out of polystyrene and gypsum, with organic, rippling white walls and a flat base. The chamber contains six models of white bathtubs made out of the same material and the base is covered by a layer of loose couscous granules.
Dimensions
  • Height: 150mm
  • Width: 280mm
  • Depth: 240mm
Style
Credit line
Given by Anna Heringer
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.

This project evokes the sights, smells and textures of summer. At the heart of the structure is a meditation chamber. Visitors would enter it barefoot, so feeling the sea of barley grain that floods the room. They might then lie down in the bathtubs and enjoy a view of the suspended upside-down barley fields, swaying gently in an artificial breeze.
Bibliographic reference
Thomas, Abraham, 1:1 Architects Build Small Spaces, London: V&A Publishing, 2010. ISBN 9781851776412
Collection
Accession number
E.1445-2010

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Record createdFebruary 1, 2011
Record URL
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