(nominated by Sarah Wang)
Super Kingdom, 2008
Sarah Wang writes about the growing trend of artists creating architectural work for urban wildlife.
Animal Architecture
Trends for ecological cultural projects and micro-architecture converge in the latest work by London Fieldworks, 'Super Kingdom' (2008). This site-specific installation for the ancient forest of King's Wood, in Kent, is a trilogy of show homes designed for native and non-native animals called 'Ceausescu', 'Mussolini' and 'Stalin'. The project is a creative critique of historical and contemporary architecture, urban design and society, which also serves as a practical response to the recent push by the forestry commission to increase bio-diversity.
London Fieldworks reallocate the luxurious palatial penthouses and offices of despots to the climate change diaspora, providing peaceful hibernation retreats. The trilogy underscores the inappropriateness of megalomaniacs' pet projects, which, although endowed with the money and power to produce impressive structures, are often realised at the expense of human and animal life, not to mention to the detriment of culture. (The building of Ceausescu Palace, for instance, involved the destruction of numerous religious and residential buildings in Bucharest’s historic district.)
'Super Kingdom' has particular resonance given current economic and environmental concerns, magnified by the debates around the limits and perils of economic growth, the energy and food crises and other related issues being highlighted at the recent Copenhagen Climate conference. The work mirrors the growing divide between rich and poor - those less able to protect themselves against, and survive the effects of, climate instability.
The project also simultaneously reflects the drive to reverse migration into city centres seen in local advertisements (which aim to entice city dwellers to relocate to Kent by appealing to the desire for a rural location with convenient transport links to London and Europe) and addresses the global issue of urban sprawl by highlighting the problems of displacement and relocation arising from competition between urban and natural environments occurring in and around expanding areas (such as Ashford, in Kent).
'Super Kingdom' itself seems to be part of a micro trend in what might be described as animal architecture, along with 'Bat House' (2009), by Jorgen Tandberg and Yo Murata, at the London Wetland Centre in Barnes and 'Animal Wall' (2009), by Gitta Gschwendtner, integrated into the new Strata residential development at Century Wharf in Cardiff Bay. ('Model for a Hotel', originally called 'Hotel for the Birds', by Thomas Schütte, one of the temporary Fourth Plinth commissions in Trafalgar Square (from 2007-2009) is another earlier example of animal architecture.)
All of the above are ecological site-specific artworks with functional outcomes developed through an interdisciplinary art/science approach to assist wildlife in areas of urban expansion and encourage further animal habitation. Although 'Super Kingdom' is arguably the most conceptually compelling of the three projects, 'Animal Wall' and 'Bat House' are both innovative in their use of materials. The former uses a custom-made woodcrete cladding and the latter uses Hemcrete (a more sustainable alternative to concrete made from hemp and lime, which is breathable and locks up CO2).
Crucially, 'Bat House' and particularly 'Animal Wall', through their collaboration with architects, developers, act as practical prototypes for how space can be made for nature within expanding urban environments in a creative way. If only international governments could take a lead from artists and architects maybe the world could agree to deliver fair and realistic solutions for a diverse and sustainable global community… the animal inhabitants of our planet do not recognise human boundaries, perhaps we could take a lead from them too, at least in our approach to tackling climate change.
Notes
London Fieldworks was co-founded in 2000 by artists Bruce Gilchrist and Jo Joelson.
'Super Kingdom' was commissioned by Stour Valley Arts and unveiled on 21 September 2008.
London Fieldworks are working in the forest over winter to create a film of the miniature buildings and their new residents. The film will capture live action and fictional scenarios with footage of the structures in situ, combined with simulations of the imagined internal spaces. This film, connecting myth and science, environment and technology, the virtual and the real will be released in spring 2010.
The Bat House Project was conceived by artist Jeremy Deller and developed and produced as a collaboration between the RSA, The London Wetland Centre, Berkeley Homes, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Arts Council England, the Bat Conservation Trust, the Greater London Authority, and plusequals. The design competition was launched in 2007 and the final work unveiled on 14 September 2009.
'Animal Wall' consists of 1,000 nest boxes, of four sizes for different bird and bat species, integrated into the 50m wall that permeates the boundary between the private development (of 1000 new apartments and houses) and the adjacent public riverside walkway on the banks of the River Taff, Wales.
It was initiated by Charles Church Developments in 2006 and completed in 2009. 'Animal Wall' was developed in consultation with an ecologist and managed by Safle, the Welsh public art consultancy.
Further information
www.londonfieldworks.com/index.php
www.bathouseproject.org/
www.jeremydeller.org/
www.gittagschwendtner.com/about_frameset.html
www.safle.com/
