Client: Royal Academy
Date: Exhibition Summer 2011

Piers Gough of CZWG and Alan Stanton of Stanton Williams have curated this year’s Architecture Room at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. The exhibition runs from 7 June-15 August 2011.

Exhibitions of current architecture are only too rare but the architecture room at the Royal Academy summer exhibition is unique as it is an architectural exhibition in the centre of an art exhibition. Architecture and art are normally shown separately – this annual exhibition allows for the opportunity for formal links between art, architecture and sculpture to be enjoyed.

This year it is in Room VI directly on axis from the entry through the octagonal Central Hall and in the middle of the enfilade of the northern range of galleries. These two axes divide the space into four quadrants, which seperate the works into various themes represented in the works sent in.  The spaces are ordered by four segments of oval plinths for models allowing generous circulation through and around them and for viewing wall works.  The curved plinths invite a freer arrangement than usual for the ubiquitous orthogonal models.  Allowing them space to be seen in the round. 

Images on the blue grey walls are organized above and below a strong horizontal band around the whole room to give an overall calmness to the mixed sizes and media of the material. Zaha Hadid’s gorgeous concept painting of the dynamic ceiling of her Glasgow transport museum is placed on the entry axis.  Its folded forms echoed in the central model of the room - Tonkin Liu’s ravishing Shi Ling bridge.  Other works in the exhibition are also arranged to emphasise these sort resonances as well as typologies.