Inspiration

The façade of London’s famed Victoria & Albert Museum has had a makeover, as a massive wooden installation is towering over a main entranceway. Created for the London Design Festival, Timber Wave is three-dimensional lattice spiral made of American red oak wood. Fully self-supporting, the structure rises 12m high. Visitors are invited to ‘walk through’ its circular form as they enter into the museum. The project was commissioned by AHEC (American Hardwood Export Council) and designed by architect Amanda Levete of AL_A. The wooden structure was constructed by Cowley Timberwork and engineered by Arup. ‘The V&A’s Cromwell Road entrance is vast, multi-layered and very ornamental,’ says David Venables, European director of AHEC. ‘The form responds to this with a single dynamic gesture in timber; the use of wood as a structural material is well documented at the V&A.’

Scottish installation artist Lee Borthwick has created an urban tidal wave made from waste pallets. Using 500 wooden pieces, Borthwick arranged the strips from darkest to lightest and threaded them together like a tapestry. The result resembles a waterfall with a sense of movement, curve and a dramatic towering effect. ‘The piece is responding to environmental changes and reflecting on how the urban environment can engulf us leaving us disconnected with nature,’ Borthwick explains. Borthwick graduated from RCA in 2008 and now has her own studio at Bainbridge Studios West Norwood, London. In With The Tide premiered at Tent London during London Design Festival.

Wall 'Piercings'

Design Museum 29/03/11 Art Installations