Luisa Rodríguez

Wimbledon Pavilion

Drawers, timber, steel
210 x 260 x 650 cm

 

As a further development of previous construction studies, this outdoor pavilion becomes the merging point of several topics of research. Relatable to past artistic proposals of house-related installations such as those by Rachel Whiteread to Richard Wood and Cornellia Parker, it clearly differs in its conception.

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After having identified drawers as a raw material available for the Wimbledon area- this probably being the case for most suburban localities- I continued to collect them as an evidence of the scale of the problematic. Within this idea, drawers represent only one object product of household waste and consumerism, while also acknowledging its emotional quality. Through the arrangement of these I recognized their pleasing potential, as a sample of aesthetics of the improvised. Discarded and abandoned, all main materials consisting of drawers, timber from letting boards, and even the majority of screws, were collected under a strict philosophy of a zero budget.

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Through the repurposing of the materials, the initial aim of the design is to compare the inside and outside, and preconceptions of these. On the other hand, it is used as a way of uncovering a much greater reality: spontaneous solutions as a consequence of limitations of resources and the link between sustainable practices and impoverished living conditions. This idea would be enhanced as the days go by and the structure remains outdoors.

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Consonant to its location, the form echoes that of neighboring houses with their traditional bay windows. However, with different proportions it remains a meager shack version, reminiscent of idiosyncratic solutions. Towards the back, the shape is open making it more similar to contemporary pavilion structures and their repetitiveness of components as a way of testing materials. At the same it responds to current discussions on these types of structures, their temporality and the waste they often represent.

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A bay-window house with no windows is relatable to The House of Councilor Krespel as explained by Antony Vidler where his house showed on the outside how he felt on the inside.  Whilst ironically, Krespel's house inspires proposals on contemporary architecture, the pavilion attempts to focus back that attention into certain living conditions, in this way using its strangeness to expose the reality of limitations.

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Although different sides of the pavilion represent different circumstances, it's an important fact the the front itself represents a mapping of the collection process, similar to a collage. Even though Wimbledon has its own recognition, the drawers themselves- coming from Kingston Road to Ridgeway place and as far as Landgrove Road- with their varying qualities and apperances are a showcase of the diversity within the area.

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For structural purposes, the construction required the implementation of braces and its pegging to the ground by means of steel spikes. These are made evident by being the only bought materials. However this adds to the work creating a reconciliation of elements with different strengths and qualities implying ways of tackling sustainable construction practices.

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With elements of fragility, its hybrid form, the upcycling of resources, all not only attempt to bring attention to social conditions but most importantly present a practice that teaches lessons on struggle, resourcefulness, and transformational beauty.