Cultural Cramps
Are we experiencing an unease amongst the creative classes? Are lines being blurred as new pastimes emerge and influence London’s evolving cultural identity?
Are we experiencing an unease amongst the creative classes? Are lines being blurred as new pastimes emerge and influence London’s evolving cultural identity?
We need more new experiences of the city and affordable opportunities for small businesses. A retail Line unites these ideas, creating a dense, mixed-use infrastructure that opens up this world beneath the city’s feet. Is this the future of repurposing London’s abandoned spaces giving opportunities to underground grass-roots creativity?
What does culture mean? Is there such thing as a new cultural currency? Are traditional definitions of culture sufficient to capture the modern ways in which we consume information, engage in leisure pursuits and use the spaces of our cities?
How do we fund cultural activity? What does this say about the importance of cultural capital to Londoners?
Are we consuming too much electronically? Can we still enjoy things in real life?
What qualifies as culture? Does the consumption of one type of event over another make London any less or more of a great place to live? Has the way we consume devalued traditional cultural activities while boosting others?
Is a space that facilitates the coming together of people to share ideas and experiences a cultural space?
If people travel from all over the world (retail tourism) to visit a place, is this a cultural space? Even if more people visit here than all the cultural institutions in London combined?
The Stirling Prize takes place every year and is an opportunity to recognise the most important building of the year. Are the nominations a true reflection of the building that are used by our population each day?
As architects do we need to focus on spaces that support a wider range of activities when we think about the idea of culture
When you look at what we build versus what we value culturally are we having the right debate about architecture in London? If London’s buildings are a framework for the social life of our city it is surely our responsibility as architects to design in a way that serves the perpetuation of this society.