Inspiring Futures: European Timber Architecture for the 21st Century
Exhibition
Our summer exhibition was CCANW’s selection of the most inspiring examples of contemporary European timber architecture. Twelve projects were selected by a panel of architecture, engineering and forestry experts.
Projects were chosen that made enlightening and inspiring uses of timber and demonstrated the beauty and usefulness of this material. They showed how the challenge of building sustainably was being met across Europe.
They included work from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, the UK and Russia. The selection was intentionally diverse and included buildings of different scales and with different uses. Our aim in assembling these examples was to demonstrate the creative range of designers working in Europe and show how they sustained innovative practice.
By exposing how creative, intellectual, political and regional communities shift expectations and develop new ideas and techniques, we hoped to inspire others to take up the challenge of working with this most ancient and modern material.
Article
Publication
A fully illustrated 40 page catalogue of the Inspiring Futures exhibition was produced, price £5. It includes an essay by Oliver Lowenstein and was designed by Northbank. Copies are still available from Clive Adams.
Complete Inspiring Futures catalogue
Tour
16 October–11 November. Exhibition toured to the Architecture Centre, Bristol.
Activities
- 14 July: LogJam with Teignmouth Community Choir, poet Alice Oswald with Tynder and musician Nigel Shaw. Photos Chris Lewis and Milica Lewis.
- 14-15 July: Performance with artist Peter J.Evans
- 17 July: Talk and workshop with artist Alan Sonfist
- 17 August: Sustainability Day
- August: Family WoodPlay workshops
- 1/3 August: Geodesic Dome construction
- 11 August: Den-building workshop
- 21 August: Twig People workshop
- 22-26 August: Workshop 5 Ways to Walk Towards Yourself. Photos Chris Lewis.
- 26 August: Music and dance performance
- 27 August: Marimba music with Jane Boxall
- 8 September: Know your trees workshop
- 9 September: Music with Nimomashtic
- 18 September: Conference Building with Wood at Exeter University
22–27 September
Possible Forests
‘Haldon Forest Park is an evolving landscape. What plans would you make for its future?’
Having raised this question, throughout the summer of 2007, walking artists Wrights & Sites embarked on a series of ‘reconnaissance drifts’ through the forest with specialists in diverse fields (geography, architecture and planning, psychology, choreography), discussing ways of experiencing, re-imagining and planning the forest landscape.
The exhibition documented these dialogues through maps, texts and video, and gave the public the opportunity to contribute their own ‘possible forest’ to the collection.
During this time, CCANW was involved within a research cluster with Spacex, Plymouth Arts Centre and Exeter Phoenix arts centre for phase two of Engage’s commissioned research programme, Enquire. The South West cluster explored young people’s democratic learning within the context of a gallery setting.
Activities
- 23 September: Forum with Wrights & Sites
Next Page
October–December 2007