Public bookings to spend a night in A Room for London, a one-bedroom installation on the roof of Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, open on 8 September 2011 (for nights January to June 2012). The second stage of bookings (for nights July – Dec 2012) will open in January 2012. Prices start from £120 (for up to two people).
Perched high above the city, this beautifully crafted space offers a unique and playful perspective on an area of London more commonly seen from river level. With an en-suite double bedroom, kitchenette, library and viewing deck, guests are invited to rest and reflect upon what they see and hear during their one night stay; logging their thoughts, observing cloud patterns, the character of the river and deeper undercurrents.
David Kohn Architects and artist Fiona Banner drew inspiration from the riverboat captained by Joseph Conrad whilst in the Congo in 1890, a journey echoed in his most famous work Heart of Darkness. The winning design for the Room was selected from over 500 entries in an open international competition set by Living Architecture and Artangel, in association with Southbank Centre. Living Architecture is a social enterprise that creates opportunities for the public to experience contemporary architecture at first hand and has commissioned five UK holiday homes designed by talented architects. A Room for London will be a visionary landmark for the city in the year of the London 2012 Games, presenting an opportunity, for those in London and beyond, to celebrate and connect to the capital and its cultural past, present and future.
Artangel, in association with the Evening Standard, today launches Ideas for London, a competition to inspire Londoners’ most remarkable proposals for their city. The competition is a call for original ideas relating to technology, the environment, social good and everything in between. Ideas can be submitted at anytime from 6 September 2011 – 5 September 2012. One winner will be announced each month during 2012, and invited to stay overnight in A Room for London, developing their idea with a number of influential guests.
Ideas for London is part of Artangel’s A Room for London programme of invited guests, which will see internationally acclaimed writers, musicians and artists muse on the city throughout its Olympic year. The programme also includes A London Address, a series of reflections by writers on London and its current place in the world, and Sounds from a Room, a sequence of webcast performances by musicians from across the globe created above the busy metropolis. A dedicated A Room for London website will broadcast writings, images, songs, blogs and live events opening up multiple conversations within the capital and beyond.
A Room for London is part of the London 2012 Festival – as the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad this UK-wide festival will feature leading artists from around the world from 21 June – 9 September 2012.
Material Used :
1. Lift design & supply - Alimak Hek
2. Appliances - Miele
