ARCHITECTS
EYES IN THE CITY
Clockwise, from top left: a rooftop ghost sign on Princes Street; The City Watchman’s Sentry Box on Norfolk Crescent; Josh Wyles of Bath’s Designscape Architects; Richard Mather-Jones of Nash Partnership
IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT LOUD UNTIL YOU NOTICE IT, AT WHICH POINT IT
SCREAMS
“The Natural Theatre Company has been making people laugh for over 40 years,” says Kevin Murphy, the managing director at Bath’s Aaron Evans Architects. “Combining a unique style of visual comedy with an impeccable eye for detail, they produce a delightfully absurd kind of walkabout entertainment.” So, how exactly does this humour link with the city’s architecture? “When the Natural Theatre Company first purchased the Widcombe Institute nearly 20 years ago, it was to Aaron Evans they turned for advice about the practicalities of converting the old Sunday school into their new headquarters,” explains Kevin. “Since then, the practice has carried out a number of interventions that maximise the use of space within. However, most of this work goes unseen by the general public with the exception of the Pothead caryatid and the Conehead gargoyle keeping a watchful eye on passers-by on Widcombe Hill. “Based on two well-loved, and occasionally feared, Natural Theatre characters, these two pieces of sculpture reflect the quirky nature of the building occupiers.” The caryatid and gargoyle were carved from stone by trainee stonemasons from Bath College, and Kevin thinks they illustrate how architecture can possess humour whilst also reflecting the character and craftsmanship of those involved in the project.
THE UNEXPECTED EVERYDAY
Josh Wyles, architectural assistant at Bath’s Designscape Architects says there is a special joy in the unexpected, and that the element of surprise seems to add a layer of excitement to our appreciation of an object. Doing the weekly shop is certainly a time when expectation levels for architectural splendour are modest to say the least, but there is at least one exception, as far as Josh is concerned. w www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 31