The Lens

architectural concept

October 2024

Dundee, Scotland

THE BRIDGE
A tunnel-like structure formed with ropes transforms crossing the bridge into a sensory experience. As one traverses, they can brush their hands along the textured ropes, creating a tactile journey that doesn't require pausing to appreciate. The installation engages all who pass through, making the bridge an interactive installation. This language is repeated throughout the courtyard, creating interactive passages throughout the space.

THE CAFE
Taking the simple concept of a cafe and turning it into a representation of another sensory experience: observing through taste. one is invited to sit, stand or lean while contemplating the nature of the palate. An instinctive way to observe the world around us using one of our key senses in the body.

THE HIDE
Inspired by the Colegio Reggio in Madrid, this nature hide redefines the act of observing. The window is replaced with an eye-like porthole, almost comical in its resemblance to a googly eye. This creates a playful and intimate space, inviting you to become one with the hide as you observe nature through the porthole. It immerses you in the act of ‘being.’

THE SCULPTURE
Whilst listening to the sounds of the scape, one’s own imagination paints pictures of what they’re hearing. This does not always manifest as the literal source of the sound, and in this case has been visualised through the use of lines, curves, colour and composition. This is made into sculptures in the gaps in the wall that frame the landscape. Each element of the sculpture represents a different sound and ambience that is heard whilst one is observing the nature around. This prompts you to question whether the sculptures resonate with your own visualizations while listening. It's almost a form of meditation.

THE BOATHOUSE
A water jet creates turbulence in the water of the boathouse. Tightly tethered to the walls, a rowboat resists the pull of the water, its interaction with the currents producing a sound that reverberates throughout the room. A glass panel separates the listener from the scene, reinforcing a sense of detachment and the boathouse walls are painted black, rendering the experience purely auditory. The boat itself, covered by glass, is transformed into a static, untouchable object. No longer a vessel of utility but a passive sculpture for the sound of the surrounding lake.

THE TOWER
This installation creates a powerful, perhaps unsettling perspective on the act of observing. As one looks out of the window and onto the scape, a camera records you and projects it onto the wall behind. You are made to see yourself as the voyeur, apart from nature yet as one as nature looks back at you. You cannot see yourself as the onlooker as when you face the projection, you are faced away from the camera. Meaning that you cannot see what is being seen of you. You are forced to be aware of yourself as the voyeur, and while nature's presence becomes more profound, provoking contemplation, self-awareness, and a shift in perspective.