The temporary road closure of Montague Place behind the British Museum, offered the London Festival of Architecture LFA a unique opportunity to intensify and invigorate a long-overlooked public space within the city, with a programme of activities and events as part of their "Bloomsbury Hub".
In discussions with the LFA, we established that the vast street could host a programme of continuous and simultaneously occurring activities, by breaking down its scale into a series of smaller scale, public event and exhibition spaces. The enclosure of these spaces evolved to define the character of a 160m-long ramped wall, scissoring back and forth across the street and topped with an "inhabited walkway" linking Mallet Street at its east end with Russell Square to the west.
Consistent with the eventful nature of the installation the installation is meant to provide a simple, provisional structure for observing and participating in the activities and events of the Festival. As such the installation is merely a framework for the activity, not just the generator.
Client: London Festival of Architecture, New London Architecture and Camden Council
Location: Montague Place, British Museum, London
Completed July 2008
Model: Carmody Groarke / A Models
Model Photography: Richard Davies
Photography: Luke Hayes
