Color, Cultural Insertions and Design Collaboration

Sadie Morgan, Vanessa Norwood, Vicky Richardson

24 February 2015

Ms. Sadie Morgan is a Founding Director of dRMM Architects and currently President of the Architectural Association. As a practitioner she is passionate about the creative use of materials and colour.

Sadie will discuss the emotive subject of colour – how we relate to it and how it can effect our view of our cities. Her presentation will also showcase dRMM's contemporary timber projects, discussing the case for a European tradition of inventive use of wood – the world's oldest, and most modern, construction material. 

Ms. Vanessa Norwood - Head of Exhibitions at the Architectural Association, one of the world’s leading centres for architectural culture and learning. Vanessa is one of the leading curators of architecture in the UK and has commissioned and curated a range of exhibitions that celebrate architecture in a wider context. She has been a pioneer of urban installations, overseeing a series of temporary pavilions in Bedford Square. 

Vanessa will explore the effect of 'cultural insertions' in the city and examine the role of the artist and architect in provoking dialogue through the act of positively interrupting everyday life. The AA School of Architecture has always viewed the city as a potential playground, where ideas and speculations can be tested and revealed. I’ll show examples of AA exhibition projects outside of the gallery and ask the question ‘what can creativity bring to the city of the future?’ 

Ms. Vicky Richardson - is Director of Architecture, Design and Fashion at the British Council based at the head office in London. Her role is to commission design exhibitions and events around the world, which aim to create international dialogue and to expand networks. One of the largest of these is the British Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale, which the British Council has commissioned since 1934. Cultural and artistic ideas have travelled internationally since the 15th century, but national, political and cultural differences can conspire against the free exchange of knowledge. However, collaborations between architects, designers and artists from different parts of the world can break down these barriers, leading to new perspectives and bringing fresh ideas to a place or situation.

Vicky Richardson will present projects that have brought designers together to come up with inspiring and original solutions to urban and architectural problems, highlighting the important role of international collaboration in cultural regeneration. Examples include a café created from a derelict town hall in Korea; an urban masterplan for Old Doha, Qatar; a workshop with 20 international architects in east London; a pop-up design school in Marrakech, Morocco, and a design residency in Bandung, Indonesia.