“Architectural photography is dominated by empty, glossy, new buildings”

Architectural photographer Jim Stephenson explains how The Architect Has Left The Constructing exhibition at RIBA goals to attract consideration to how folks use buildings, on this interview.

Regardless of happening on the Structure Gallery on the Royal Institute of British Architects’ central London HQ, Stephenson instructed Dezeen that the exhibition is just not targeted on buildings.

“The set up is about folks watching,” he stated. “Though it is on the RIBA and within the structure gallery, it is probably not in regards to the buildings – they’re simply the backdrop, they’re the stage set actually.”

“We wished to create a meditative, giant scale movie piece that was all about how folks use (and misuse) house as soon as the architect’s work is finished,” he continued.

Because the exhibition’s title suggests, the exhibition focuses on how buildings are used after the architect’s work is completed.

It goals to point out buildings in use, in distinction to nearly all of architectural images that always portrays buildings empty, at their level of completion.

“After I used to work in structure practices, we used to design the whole lot round folks and context,” defined Stephenson. “It felt like the whole lot was dictated by these two issues after which after we would get initiatives photographed we would ask the photographer to omit these two issues.”

“The buildings had been empty objects – sculptures,” he continued. “It at all times jarred with me, so in our work we concentrate on folks utilizing house as a lot as potential.”

The exhibition embrace quite a few photographs taken by Stephenson, together with an enclosed screening room, the place a movie created for the exhibition was performed on a twin display screen.

“This movie is all in regards to the small interactions that happen in and round buildings – between people, teams of individuals and even between folks and the buildings,” stated Stephenson. “It is all in regards to the folks!”

The movie, which was created with artist Sofia Smith and has a soundtrack created by Simon James, comprises quite a few up to date buildings from the previous 15 years.

Among the many buildings featured are Tintagel Fort Bridge by William Matthews Architects, Tate St Ives extension by Jamie Fobert, Sands Finish Arts and Neighborhood Centre by Mae Architects and London Bridge Station by Grimshaw, which had been all shortlisted for the Stirling Prize.

The movie makes goals to makes folks take into consideration the connections between buildings and the way individuals are related to them.

“Watching Sofia make visible hyperlinks between buildings that I hadn’t beforehand thought-about to have a lot in widespread was fascinating,” defined Stephenson.

“There is a level within the movie the place we transition from Sands Finish Neighborhood Centre to Tintagel footbridge and it is seamless – from a group centre in West London to a bridge over the ocean in Cornwall!”

“And at London Bridge practice station, Simon recorded not simply the ambient sound that everybody can hear, however he additionally recorded the internal guts of the constructing with contact mics, in addition to the sound within the electromagnetic spectrum,” he continued. “All these sounds get layered up within the present and I can not undergo that station now with out desirous about them.”

Stephenson hopes that the movie will display how folks enhance architectural areas and the way they’re recorded.

“The historical past of architectural images is dominated by empty, shiny, new buildings, photographed earlier than folks have are available in,” stated Stephenson.

“I feel there was a concern amongst architects that folks ‘mess up their constructing’ and photographing them empty by some means confirmed the structure in a extra pure and distilled approach,” he continued.

“I feel that is mad. If the folks you designed the constructing for are ‘messing it up’ then perhaps there’s one thing fallacious with the constructing? I am half joking, however I’ve by no means documented an area that wasn’t improved by folks, or on the very least an indication of life.”

One of many UK’s best-known architectural photographers, Stephenson co-founded movie manufacturing studio Stephenson& with Smith. Latest initiatives photographed by Stephenson embrace a wood-lined group house in east London, a rammed-earth yoga studio to the gardens of Somerset resort and a rolling bridge in London.

Latest buildings captured on movie by Stephenson& embrace a customer centre on the UK’s largest sawmill and a college theatre by Jonathan Tuckey Design in London.

The images is by Agnese Sanvito, except acknowledged. The movie is by Jim Stephenson and Sofia Smith with soundtrack by Simon James.

The Architect Has Left The Constructing is at RIBA in London till 12 August 2023. See Dezeen Occasions Information for an up-to-date record of structure and design occasions happening around the globe.