the centre of attention
Shane Winter and Andrew Power
SUTTON SCARSDALE AND THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION
By its very definition post contemporary refers to a future condition. It therefore should be speculative, marked completely by the questioning and curiosity of the protagonist (artist / architect etc.).We make obvious two concerns within this project; the first being the preservation of a rather nice building, the second the production & presentation of, or curating for contemporary art.
Ruins & Exhibition
As a result largely of human intervention, Sutton Scarsdale Hall has become a ruin. We like this. The passage of time has stripped much of the nauseating ornament to reveal building more truthful. Former rooms now create a series of patio/atrium spaces that initiate a clear relationship between earth and sky, ignoring the wall, the area for traditional exhibition. Our proposal aims to retain Sutton Scarsdale in its current form; we wish to construct a glass house over the ruin, protecting it from further decay and removing any obligation to restore it to some previous state. Such a gesture establishes a provocative attitude to heritage, treating buildings almost as if they were museum objects, too precious to touch. The sealed framed structure of bronze extrusion creates a functional container, a space within which a curator has free reign.
Once enclosed, we create rooms within rooms. Appearing to rise out of the earthly floor remains, black basalt stone boxes are placed within the former grand rooms of Sutton Scarsdale Hall; serving as functional containers (auxiliary spaces), walled hanging space, and pedestals upon which patrons ascend to view artwork (the height to the existing first floor level). The archaic & introverted nature of these objects counters the openness of the glass house.
Toil & Production
The hill leading up to the building becomes a square for assembling or performances etc. Below Sutton Scarsdale Hall we propose an atelier village for artists to work and inhabit. The artists working here would potentially be exhibited within the hall. We create an implicit "masses" vs "establishment” tension which is of course very feudal but also very appropriate for the way the art scene works. As with the exhibition space, the village uses tinted concrete / black basalt stone. These new objects reinforce the building in the landscape, pavilions by definition.
