BSc Unit 21 Yr 4: Chih-Yin Chien; John Lawlor; Bilal Malik; Carolina Razelli; Katie Walmsley. Yr 5: Nicolas Lundstrom; Owen Jones; Benjamin Lee; Krishma Shah; Charlene Shum; Tumpa Husna Yasmin;
Buy : Sell What constitutes a sale? What defines value? What are the implications of trade on an architectural proposition where ‘faux’ products and illicit sales sit uncomfortably alongside carefully regimented and audited procedures of transaction? In 2007, the exchange of non-essential goods reached an all time high, with Sotheby’s and Christie’s reporting sales of over US$300 million in a single week. But 2007 also saw £12 billion of the value of the stock market wiped and another £1bn withdrawn from customers of one bank in a single day; 2008 now threatens with the cry of ‘credit crunch’. Responding to the brief, students quickly developed their own territory of transaction, outlining the buyer and seller roles and the delicate balance developed in the process of establishing a sale. Work reflected the shifting power of a ‘deal’ and developed a view on currency as a vehicle. The ‘purchase’ varied, from a tangible object, a concept, an emotion. Students were expected to develop a view of commodity in the 21st century and the perceived value of built space in its language, materials and cultural significance. We explored an architecture of negotiation, of risk, of shifting value.
Christine Hawley and Peter Culley
Show Cat 08.indd 140
Above: Charlene Shum, Section Through the Pawn Shop.
12/6/08 17:36:48