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 structure consists of 40 handmade lace curtains, each intended to measure 4 metres in length. The curtains - each produced by a different Chilean craftswoman - are arranged in a simple grid formation, creating a series of tall, narrow embroidered chambers. Armed with the belief that memory is the ultimate retreat, this project would transport visitors to the intimate workspaces associated with traditional embroidery and cloth manufacture.