Two new installations at St James’ quarter draw on local history

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to Wallpaper. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
London's St James's quarter has a long history of tailoring and shoe-making, and now two new thought-provoking installations there draw on this heritage. Both commissions come courtesy of the Crown Estate - the property portfolio owned by the Crown - and are an attempt to bring further design delight to a pair of recently refurbished office buildings.
Acoustitch is a bold three-dimensional wall feature in the foyer of 11 Waterloo Place, home to the National Bank of Egypt. Acoustitch's creators, architecture firm RCKa, had a depth of just 150mm to play with as the piece was to sit behind the reception desk. Although it had to be shallow, it also needed to improve the foyer's acoustics. RCKa's solution was a 3-D re-think of traditional woven fabric swatches, made of foam found in sound recording studios. The acoustic foam was cut into triangular blocks and dyed different colours including gold, pin, navy blue and grey.
Architect Dieter Kleiner explains that pinpointing the positioning of the coloured blocks was 'trial and error'. Those efforts have paid off, as viewers are treated to a variety of visual effects as they pass to and fro in front of Acoustitch.
Round the corner at 11 Charles Street is Lola Lely's Cosmology of St James's, a mobile inspired by local bootmaker John Lobb. 'I was given over their archives and re-imagined how the pieces could be worked in a different material,' says Lely. So Lobb customers Oscar Wilde and Bosie are here represented as a pair of shiny love-birds, formed from curling the template of a brogue shoe.
Meanwhile local resident Isaac Newton is represented as a rotating orbit. 'The whole piece is about the cosmos and is suspended in gravity,' says Lely. All nine satellites rotate slowly as the automatic door opens and lets outside air in. If the finer details are lost on visitors, they should soon be able to refer to a written explanation that Lely is preparing for the foyer.
The installation created by architecture practice RCKa sits behind the reception desk and is a three-dimentional wall feature.
Because of the project's positioning, the architects only had a depth of 150mm to play with
The piece is inspired by traditional woven fabric swatches, made of the same foam used in sound recording studios.
The multi-tasking piece improves the space's acoustics.
Round the corner at 11 Charles Street is designer Lola Lely's Cosmology of St James's installation. Its nine rotate slowly as the automatic door opens and lets outside air in
This piece is a mobile inspired by local bootmaker John Lobb
Famous Lobb customers Oscar Wilde and Bosie are represented as a pair of shiny love-birds, formed from curling the template of a brogue shoe
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
São Paulo Biennial 2023: activism, repressed cultures and South America’s art history under the lens
The 35th São Paulo Biennial considers ‘Choreographies of the Impossible’ as the theme. Amah-Rose Abrams reports on what to see
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
Jacqueline Rabun’s sculptural jewellery design goes on show in London
‘Jacqueline Rabun: A Retrospective’ opens at London’s Carpenters Workshop Gallery
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Tokujin Yoshioka’s flaming glass cauldron sets Tokyo alight
Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka plays with fire with an exhibition of glass torches and cauldrons, on view at 21_21 Design Sight Gallery 3 in Tokyo (until 5 November 2023)
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
‘R for Repair’ at London Design Festival displays broken objects, re-formed
In the second half of a two-part exhibition and as part of London Design Festival 2022, ‘R for Repair’ at the V&A displays broken objects, re-formed
By Martha Elliott Last updated
-
‘Finding quality through the act of making’: Pearson Lloyd celebrates 25 years of design
Pearson Lloyd’s show ‘Change Making’ reflects on past designs from its archives, showcasing the influences on and evolution of the studio, from furniture design to the NHS
By Martha Elliott Last updated
-
Tom Dixon marks his studio's 20 years with a show of design experiments
Mushroom, cork, steel coral and more: Tom Dixon showcases an overview of his design experiments as he celebrates his practice's 20 years
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Porro unveils new London showroom at Coal Office
London Design Festival 2022: industrial architecture meets pure geometries in the new Porro showroom, taking over a space within Tom Dixon’s Coal Office to showcase the brand’s systems and furniture
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Vitra unveils new London home in the Tramshed, Shoreditch
London Design Festival 2022: after a year-long renovation, Vitra opens the door to its new showroom in the heart of Shoreditch
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Mudlarking beside the River Thames inspires The New Craftsmen’s makers
London Design Festival 2022: The New Craftsmen’s new collection, ‘Claylarks’, features work from a group of creatives inspired by a River Thames mudlarking expedition
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
One tree, ten designers: SCP presents The One Tree Project at London Design Festival
London Design Festival 2022: SCP enlisted ten British designers to create furniture and objects from a felled ash tree from founder Sheridan Coakley's Hampshire garden
By Francesca Perry Last updated
-
London Design Medals 2022
London Design Medals 2022 are awarded to costume designer Sandy Powell, architect Indy Johar, researcher Joycelyn Longdon and photographer Sir Don McCullin
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated