Pump House Gallery has unveiled a temporary pavilion, a bold and contemporary work that utilises Flexi Duct pipes in order to create an engaging artwork that brings together engineering, construction, art and education.
The 14.5m x 7.9m structure is on display as part the Wandsworth Arts Fringe. It will be in situ until 21st May 2017 and will be used to host screenings, workshops and performances. Its design is a result of dialogue over several months with students from Chestnut Grove Academy in Balham - led by NEON architects and Elliot Wood structural engineers.
Blue and yellow pipes have been contorted into arches, alternating in colour to create a hypnotic "opart" effect which lures visitors within The Pavilion. Inside, pipe storage spools form seating and tables, making a creative new use out of everyday construction materials.
The Pavilion celebrates the pipes that used to flow from the Pump House to Battersea Park. The architectural form is created through a series of repeated distorting arches, designed to reference the classic brick arch at the iconic front entrance of the Gallery.
Greer Mac Keogh, Participation Curator, PUMP HOUSE GALLERY, commented:
"The Pump House Pavilion has been a fantastic project for us to work on; and we have been bowled over by the professional attitude and approach taken by the 11 to 14 years who worked on this project from Chestnut Grove Academy. The pavilion was part of the Pump House Gallery's outhouse programme, which endeavours to deliver projects in which the involvement of participants is central. We have relished the chance to work with a wide range of partners on this project, all of whom have invested a huge amount of time and effort in creating a spectacular structure and events programme for outside our gallery."
Alison Dowsett, Managing Director, St William, commented:
"The vision and enthusiasm of the students involved in this project has been truly impressive, and an inspiration to the St William team. It's been a pleasure to have been a part of the workshops that have led to the final design - which is bold and beautiful. The students should be very proud of their contributions to the work."
The Pavilion has been supported by St William, part of the Berkeley Group, as one component of the cultural strategy put in place as part of the development of its new residential scheme - Prince of Wales Drive, which neighbours Battersea Park. The scheme will create a new 955 home community inspired by its landscape with new public parks and gardens, open space and increased connectivity. The Pump House Pavilion was commissioned by Dallas-Pierce-Quintero and Pump House Gallery.
The aim of the project was to demonstrate how art and design can find links with STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to deliver creative opportunities for young people in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The designers and engineers worked with the students from Chestnut Grove in order to create The Pavilion, exposing them to the realities of an architectural project and the different roles and skills required.
The Pump House Pavilion will be in situ on the gallery forecourt for three weeks throughout Wandsworth Arts Fringe (5th - 21st May). Pump House Gallery is open Wednesday - Sunday 11am - 4pm, closed Monday and Tuesday between exhibitions.
Admission is free. For more information see http://www.pumphousegallery.org.uk/.