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| Year 1 | Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

Project details

Programme
Tutors Frosso Pimenides and Max Dewdney

The installation project is a pivotal moment in the tradition of Year 1 Architecture. Titled 'Metamorphosis', the installation took nine characters from Ovid's epic Metamorphoses (8AD) and translated them into nine installations that were translocated to Walmer Yard, four unique houses in west London by Peter Salter and Fenella Collingridge. The one-day event consisted of spatial proposals that explored the relationship between myth, transformation and identity, and which were set against a series of musical performances. The event was developed in collaboration with Dr Jane Gilbert from the Department of French at UCL, Laura Mark the Keeper of Walmer Yard (Baylight Foundation), and the Topos String Quartet of UK and European classical musicians.

Group Students

Echo

Echo

Stalking, hiding, reaching, despair; these are Echo’s postures as she trails Narcissus through the forest. Projection, shadows, refraction are the visual echoes, repeating what came before. The four postures fill the centre of the space, a performance stage for the story of Echo trailing Narcissus through the forest.

Orpheus and Eurydice

Orpheus and Eurydice

Ovid’s myth follows Orpheus’ journey to recover the life of his lover, Eurydice. Directly above is the light, the overworld, which signifies the catharsis Orpheus must ascend to. Burdened by the story of love and loss, the journey through Hades’ malaise is a journey of memory and trauma.

Pyramus and Thisbe

This installation is an interpretation of the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, a myth about two lovers divided by a wall, except for a crack through which they communicate their love. The fabric allows a softened communication of light and shadow, whilst the stiffened jelly dividers allow for glimpses through.

Arachne

Arachne

This web emerges from the story of Arachne, a girl who is transformed into a spider by the goddess Minerva after a weaving contest. Seven weblike crochets swoop through various levels, causing the observer to experience differences in size and proximity, reflecting the transformation of size Arachne experiences.

Phaethon

The story of Phaethon in Ovid’s poem describes the journey of an arrogant mortal boy who burnt the Earth. The piece is composed of two datum strips that heighten one’s senses. Starting at chest level, the datum slowly increases in height until it rises above one's head, engulfing and submerging them.

Narcissus

Narcissus

Narcissus falls in love with his reflection after repelling an admirer. His interactions with others and his own image are expressed through his conflicted view of touch. The installation is comprised of three datums created using thin membranes. Each membrane transforms the courtyard through light and reflections; the performance draws together and pulls away.

Icarus

Icarus

To escape the labyrinth, Icarus and his father take flight. Icarus flies too close to the Sun, his waxed wings melt and he plummets towards the sea. This piece explores verticality, falling, perspective and the relationship between Heaven and Earth in Ovid’s text. When lying in the bed, the viewer experiences the sensation of falling.

Actaeon

Actaeon

The installation is a translation of the myth of Actaeon. Following a day of hunting, Actaeon is punished for gazing on the goddess Diana as she bathes. A cluster of ice sculptures are suspended at the top of the stairwell. As they melt, drops fall into the void of the staircase, guided by a latex filter.

Pygmalion and Galatea

Pygmalion and Galatea

Pygmalion, disgusted by the promiscuous nature of the women in Cyprus, sculpts a ‘perfect’ woman called Galatea, and Venus transforms the sculpture into a live woman. This sensory installation plays with the boundary between sculptor and sculpted. A series of structures manipulate the body's position to constrain movement and restrict the view of the room.

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