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Chairing the Royal Society of Architects Wales Spring Conference, June 13th 

I’m delighted and honoured to have been asked to chair this year’s Royal Society of Architects Wales Spring Conference, in Aberystwyth.

 

Next Thursday, June 13th, I shall be welcoming architects, art and cultural activists and Makers to explore the roots of inspiration and creativity.

 

As founder of a Company of Makers inspired by the landscape, culture and language of Wales, it will be fascinating to dive deeper into the inspiration behind some amazing and award winning creative projects and to explore how that inspiration evolves from concept through to finished design.

                             

Speakers include architects Andrew Barnett of Hopkins Architects, JJ Cliff of Studio Weave, and Gunnar Groves-Raines of GRAS alongside potter, Bert Jones and arts and cultural activist, Fahadi Mukulu of Common Wealth.

 

Their collective body of award winning work references many influences and philosophies through which contextual references are clearly apparent - be that historic, environmental or cultural. And while it will be interesting to unpick these recurrent themes, I’m looking forward to exploring how these narratives impact on the creative process: do they constrain the project in any way or give freedom to the designer? do they impact differently depending on the creative art form - architecture, object or performance, or if the project is derived from a philosophical, political and social narrative rather than one that is site specific?
 

And how do these inspirations translate into the finished project? What impact do they have on the choice between figurative or evocative expression, of decoration, materials or venue. 

 

If you would like to explore these issues with us please follow the link Spring Conference Booking Form and join us for what promises to be a fascinating day in Aberystwyth.

 

Hopkins Architects 

Hopkins Architects is an international architectural practice with studios in London and Dubai with an impressive portfolio of innovative, beautiful and functional buildings across the globe. 

 

Notable projects include:

Norwich Cathedral

100 Liverpool Street, London 

 

Studio Weave

Studio Weave is an architectural practice based in London, UK. It has gained a global reputation for delivering an extensive range of projects in cultural, educational, heritage, arts, public realm and residential sectors.


 Notable projects include:

Gold Winning Chelsea Garden for WaterAid

Lea Bridge Library Pavilion, London  

Made of Sand, Dorset and the critically acclaimed 

Seosaeng Courtyard House’, Korea. 

 

GRAS

Gras is an award winning Edinburgh architecture and design studio. 

Their work is intuitive, highly contextual and focuses on timeless design principles to deliver unique human centred solutions.

 

Notable projects include:

The Quaich Project 

London Design Festival 

The Gathering Hand

Lamb's House


 

Fahadi Mukulu of Common Wealth

 

Passionate about educating through art, Fahadi’s first project involved the celebration of the Tiger Bay Community at the Wales Millenium Centre.

 

Bert Jones

Making functional pots and one off artefacts is central to Bert Jones’ practice and research. Graduating from Cardiff School of Art and Design, Bert is currently a Doctoral Research Associate at the school where he is researching the relationship between fine arts, functional objects and pottery as a form of abstract sculpture.