Atelier [zero]

Collaborative Installation and Educational Live Project, 2012

Atelier[zero] was one of my first projects at Manchester School of Architecture, co-led with Tom Jefferies and Helen Iball, in collaboration with the Office for Subversive Architecture, École Spéciale d’Architecture (Paris), and curator Jane Anderson. The project was commissioned as part of the Cultural Olympiad celebrations, was supported by Arts Council England and received the Inspire Mark for its creativity and contribution to London 2012.

At its heart, Atelier[zero] explored the idea of play, sport, and spectacle in the urban landscape. The temporary intervention transformed an underused site through a series of interactive architectural elements: thirteen adapted garden sheds, five boats, five giant swing balls, and a layered tapestry of sporting line markings. Built over twelve days by students, the installation remained open for the whole summer, animated by a team of artists, attendants and volunteers who helped visitors engage with the space.

Atelier[zero] received local and national press coverage, and was later documented in a co-authored conference paper, Atelier[zero]: Negotiated Dialogues, written with Helen Iball for the 2012 Production of Place conference. The paper took the form of a curated conversation - a reflective enquiry into collaborative making, the educational value of student led design and build projects, and the evolving role of temporary architecture in shaping cities and communities.