2015 International Design Exchange Project, the 6th Hidden Space Project, Re-experience

The London skyline is dominated by cranes, the recession has disappeared to be replaced by a boom in the building Industry. However the economic downturns do inform and leave us with a better purpose. It tells us to take care, to think sustainably and to develop ideas for the whole community rather than acting in isolation. The Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design is in its 3rd year of the new union and building its enriched offering with the Dean’s very clear message of’ Duty of Care’. The Interiors subject area has developed a third degree Interior Design and Decoration, where it will develop a strong relationship with furniture, textiles and fashion. As the Faculty is now known as the Aldgate Bauhaus and as such has a clear mission to share and be collaborative. \n \nThe choice of Interior studio projects offered were diverse in their nature and their position but each one looked to its environment and the social context for a basis on which to start and prepare the design proposals. The students developed ideas that were rich in a historical basis, being respectful to the stories of the past and therefore ensure the legacy that we as designers leave with that building and design proposal are both inspiring for its next generation but courteous to the past. \n \nWe have 8 students who have worked in two studios, Studio 1 was tutored by Janette Harris and focussed on learning spaces and open archives within Museum spaces and my studio, Studio 2 set a commercial brief to develop a Hotel which represented and apportioned space with its local community The studios have investigated the language of luxury, escape and adventure. Luxury invites rich narratives within the detail, materials of quality, and graceful proportions. It offers value through time, passion and knowledge. Escape asks for indulgence of the individual empathising with the pursuits, habits and practices of an explorer developing spaces that resonate in a very distinct or even idiosyncratic way. Adventure talks of the journey and the exploration of locations. It sparks curiosity and leads a thoughtful process; linking cultures and histories to meaningful concepts. The project related to and resonated with their environment and the people who inhabit it. The ambition is in the narrative, depiction and in the detail which creates luxury, the escape and adventure.