This past June, London celebrated its annual London Festival of Architecture. The festival showcases exhibitions, installations, workshops, and other events highlighting architecture and design in the city.
This year, London-based designer Yinka Ilori created two projects that filled the city streets with life through color. First is the multicolored pavilion, "The Colour Palace," built in collaboration with London-based architecture firm Pricegore. Located outside the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the design was inspired by the markets of Balogun in Lagos, Nigeria. Illori used the colorful African textiles found hanging throughout the markets as inspiration for the pavilion.
The relationship between the pavilion and the Dulwich Picture Gallery may seem distant. However, according to the design team, the pavilion drew reference from the gallery through its geometry. Alex Gore, co-founder of Pricegore, explained in an interview with Dezeen, "The idea of strong geometry runs throughout the project – it's our way of siting it in its place." With an array of color that immediately draws attention, visitors can witness the detail of each hand-painted timber piece.
Illori's second project is a colorful installation that can be seen on the Thessaly Road railway in South London. Bringing together the community, and initiatives for durable, low-cost materials, the installation, called "Happy Street," creates an inviting environment underneath the bridge.
Both of Illori's projects focus on transforming the community and its surroundings by using color as a gateway for change, inclusion, and an inviting sense of community.
2 Comments
Nicely done. But, again, this is a direct descendant of Deborah Sussman's elegant, very place-based work in LA (partnering with Jon Jerde).
(This reference doesn't diminish the new work; but it does give important credit where it's due-- right down to the palette.)
so was deborah sussman also directly inspired by the colors and patterns of lagos, nigeria as yinka ilori says he was?
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