London’s built environment diary was filled with events last Thursday, whilst struggling with my fear of missing out; we all went to the opening of Sto Werkstatt’s new exhibition “The Glass Chain”. The designers of the exhibition,Lara Lesmes and Frederik Hellberg of Space Popular – two very colourful and interesting people, have recently moved back to London, ending their adventure in Thailand. Their unique design approach turns its back on minimalism, preferring to experiment with loud colours, unconventional materials and symbolism.
Amy Croft, the curator of the Werkstatt, asked Space Popular to work with glass to redefine the limitations and encouraging the audience to visualize a new purpose for glass in building design. The installation explores different ranges of scale, playing with our visual perception of glass doorways as grand arches and small steps as giant pediments. Lara and Frederik said they worked very closely with Sto technical experts to realise a kaleidoscopic glass construction that uses glass to enhance, alter and question human perception of space.
The installation title “The Glass Chain” is a reference to the infamous exchange of letters by a group of German architects from 1919-1920 initiated by Bruno Taut, fantasising about the myriad of possibilities of this incredible material. Lara and Frederik – Space Popular – are one to watch, as is the untold history of glass.
