When 'looking', the objects on which we focus our attention are seen in sharp detail and this 'sharp focus' moves as the focus of our attention moves. The area around the focus of attention is blurred - our brains edit out extraneous detail but retain a semblance of what surrounds the area of focus as an armature for our vision. The proposed sculptures explore this phenomenon - how our vision synthesises points of focus in space and time to create our lived experience.

One of a number of sculpture prototypes
800 x 650 x 300 mm

Exploring how we see, experience and feel about the world around is a natural development of the rejection of the single viewpoint and subsequent Cubist explorations and begs further questions – particularly about the unseen but ever present and experienced world around us – so called 'negative space' or the space 'in-between'.

One of a number of sculpture prototypes
800 x 650 x 300 mm

These sculptures explore the difference between our formulated vision of the day-to-day and the observable reality when attention is closely focused. More specifically, the difference between what your brain instinctively edits out in the way of detail (assuming it to be unimportant) and what is seen under detailed observation.

One of a number of sculpture prototypes
800 x 650 x 300 mm

A world of geometrically irregular space defined by a web of membranes which have been mapped as the footprints of focused cones of separate but 'joined-up' vision.

One of a number of sculpture prototypes
400 x 325 x 150 mm

The combination of climate change, urban heat island effect, increasing rainfall and severe air pollution poses risks to human health and threatens the future of the city. However, increasing the amount of urban natural features, hydrological cycles, and natural habitats could minimise these risks, which highlights the importance of Hampstead Heath as one of London’s major green spaces.

Situated on the east boundary of Hampstead Heath, this building is designed to act as a portal between the urban and natural environments which enables increased knowledge of the fauna and flora of the area and dialogue on the future of London’s parks, green spaces and allotments. The building also provides facilities where the charity that cares for the Heath ('Heath Hands') can host lectures, workshops and events.

One of a number of prototypes
870 x 300 x 200 mm 

The building's outer 'skin' and curved structure has been designed to reference natural gestatory forms and carefully manage users' fields of vision as they transit through the building. The main body of the building is covered with a 'skin' which provides visual shelter from the exterior environment - encouraging visitors to pause and focus on featured exhibits as they transit from urban to natural and vice versa. Canted triangular glazed openings along the spine of the structure flood the interior space with East > West light (in the morning) and West > East light (in the afternoon) encouraging awareness of the direction of the natural light source (and therefore orientation and time of day). Fully glazed openings at both ends of the structure allow the transitioning user to only fully 'take in' the outside environment as they approach the exits.    

One of a number of prototypes
870 x 300 x 200 mm

Beneath the 'skin', portal frames form the primary structure and tension cables are added for stiffness. The raised timber floor houses ventilation ductwork and underfloor heating. The building fabric and active systems were designed to minimise energy consumption and photovoltaic panels generate the remaining energy to make the building net-zero carbon.

Various prototypes

Situated between London's urban sprawl, the Fitzroy Park allotments and the wildflower meadows on the East side of Hampstead Heath, the Bestiary has been sited at the junction of multiple routes to and from the Heath. Numerous foot traffic routes from the West converge and exit slightly North of the swimming ponds and, similarly, traffic from the urban East is funnelled onto the Heath and the pathways which radiate from the site of the Bestiary. By capturing traffic at (and carefully controlling the visual focus through) this choke-point the project can act as a focus for the multiple journeys experienced while focusing users' attention (on chosen exhibits) as they pass.

The combination of ever-changing points of visual focus (multiple viewpoints), the suggested armature around points of focus provided by what we see but choose to ignore at any one point in time, 'remembered' or 'imagined' vision (either pre-existing or imagined visual memories or projections) and supplementary imagery (photographs, films, maps, illustrations, written descriptions, historical knowledge, etc.) make for complicated visual experiences of the journeys we make through landscapes.

Acrylic painting on paper
600 x 430 mm

Exploring multiple viewpoints and jouneys through landscapes is a natural development of the rejection of the single viewpoint and subsequent Cubist explorations and begs further questions, particularly about 'the unseen' but ever present - so called negative space or the space in-between the things - which is essential to our visual experience and understanding of the world around us.

Acrylic painting on paper
850 x 600 mm

Light falling on the surface of water draws never-ending - and ever-changing - lines which delineate the different angles and levels of the water's surface and which are both seemingly continous while being entirely separate. This creates a challenging and entirely absorbing visual experience which synthesises multiple points of focus and layers of time.

Acrylic on mirrored surface with multiple layers of cut-out
594 x 841 mm

Light falling on the surface of water draws never-ending - and ever-changing - lines which delineate the different angles and levels of the water's surface and which are both seemingly continous while being entirely separate. This creates a challenging and entirely absorbing visual experience which synthesises multiple points of focus and layers of time.

Acrylic on mirrored surface with multiple layers of cut-out
594 x 841 mm

This interdisciplinary theatre is designed to provide an educational hub which encourages cross-pollination of knowledge and ideas between conventionally discrete subjects. It utilises the Golden Ratio - the measure referenced in both the natural world and built environment - for several key areas of the building design. Most notably it uses Golden Spirals (similar to those found in the head of a sunflower) to inform the structure of the timber gridshell roof. Elements within the building aid multi-disciplinary functionality including moveable panels in the main theatre space (enabling it to host different activities with varying acoustic requirements) and a double helix staircase (mimicking DNA strands) which encourages conversations between traffic travelling up, down and through the building.

Lattice prototype for gridshell roof
840 x 590 mm 

This drawing records a journey made from the exterior door on the members area staircase into the North East corner of the main RA courtyard - the transition from interior enclosed space into the partially seen then fully seen exterior space of the main courtyard. Consideration has been given to the unseen - negative - space in the main courtyard.

Pencil and pen on paper
297 x 210 mm

This drawing records a journey made from the members' garden, through the members' bar, upstairs into the main RA entrance space and on into the outside space of the main RA courtyard. Consideration is given to all the unseen - negative - spaces experienced throughout the journey.

Pencil and pen on paper
297 x 210 mm

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