A dilapidated corrugated iron pig shed in a Kent field has been replaced with a gallery and studio for acclaimed artist Nick Veasey. He commissioned Guy Hollaway Architects to design the 265 sq m Process Gallery to hold his own work, which is created with X-ray imaging technology, and exhibitions by other artists.
‘As the X-rays emit radiation, you don’t really want me as your next door neighbour,' says Veasey of the setting outside the village of Lenham, adding that it was also ‘within our meagre budget'.
Veasey wanted to pick up on the site’s previous structure, and was inspired by the work of Australian Pritzker Prize-winner Glen Murcutt, ‘who has designed some sexy buildings with corrugated iron'.
The structure takes its cues from traditional Kent farm structures
Hollaway switched to poured concrete, creating an angular form that borrows from the oast house typology. This isn’t the first reimaging of Kent’s traditional farm building. In 2017, a modern take on the oast house, by James Macdonald Wright and Carmarthenshire-based Niall Maxwell, was named RIBA’s house of the year.
Just six miles down the road, Process Gallery’s pyramid chamber houses Veasey’s X-ray equipment, and is intended to ‘emulate the splay of the X-ray machine', says Hollaway. The concrete absorbs the radiation.
‘Having shown my work at galleries all over the world from the good, bad and indifferent, I have learnt what makes an engaging exhibition', claims Veasey, whose images were featured in the V&A’s show earlier this year, ‘Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion'. His works will make up the inaugural show.
As the landscape matures, the intention is to create a sculpture park, where artists can display their works. Just four miles away is the major cultural attraction of Leeds Castle, which was originally built in 1119 by a Norman baron. ‘Time will tell if there is a demand for a quality contemporary art gallery in this location', muses Veasey.
The structure is mostly made out of thick concrete, with timber details
The project houses the artist’s X-ray lab as well as exhibition spaces
Inside, gallery rooms are bright and look out towards the Kent countryside, interchanging with..
..enclosed spaces where Veasey works with X-ray imaging technology to produce his work
The X-ray equipment is located in the pyramid-like wing of the structure
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of Guy Hollaway Architects
-
This modernist home, designed by a disciple of Le Corbusier, is on the marketAndré Wogenscky was a long-time collaborator and chief assistant of Le Corbusier; he built this home, a case study for post-war modernism, in 1957
-
Take a tour of Retrofit House, the live showcase inspiring sustainable homebuildingRetrofit House, a showcase for residential redesign using biomaterials and environmentally smart methods, opens in Birmingham, UK, spearheaded by Civic Square, Dark Matter Labs and Material Cultures; we paid it a visit
-
Kohler unveils ‘Pearlized,’ an iridescent new finish with an under-the-sea backstoryArtist David Franklin was inspired by glimmering fish scales and sunsets for this mesmerising debut
-
Riccardo Dalisi’s first UK retrospective opens at east London gallery Spazio LeoneSpazio Leone draws together six decades of the Italian visionary’s work, from whimsical coffee pots to radical community workshops
-
Inside the fight to keep an iconic Barbara Hepworth sculpture in the UK‘Sculpture with Colour’ captures a pivotal moment in Hepworth’s career. When it was sold to an overseas buyer, UK institutions launched a campaign to keep it in the country
-
Thirty-five years after its creation, Lynn Hershman Leeson’s seminal video is as poignant as everLynn Hershman Leeson’s 'Desire Inc', at 243 Luz in Margate, blurs the boundaries between art and reality
-
A bespoke 40m mixed-media dragon is the centrepiece of Glastonbury’s new chill-out areaNew for 2025 is Dragon's Tail – a space to offer some calm within Glastonbury’s late-night area with artwork by Edgar Phillips at its heart
-
Lubaina Himid and Magda Stawarska’s new show at Kettle’s Yard will uncover the missing narratives in everyday life storiesThe artists and partners in life are collaborating on an immersive takeover of Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, in an exhibition that delves into a lost literary legacy
-
See the fruits of Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely's creative and romantic union at Hauser & Wirth SomersetAn intimate exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Somerset explores three decades of a creative partnership
-
Caroline Walker's new show speaks to women everywhere, including me'Everything related to my life with young children, because it's such an all encompassing experience,' the artist says of her new show at the Hepworth Wakefield
-
Cassi Namoda is rethinking stained-glass windows at Turner Contemporary in MargateThe artist drew from an eclectic range of references when considering the traditional medium for a Turner Contemporary window overlooking the beach – she tells us more
