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HETEROPHYLLY

         
   

  with COMPANY, PLACE

           RIO KOBAYASHI
 
           WEBB YATES           

                     

 The ‘Off the Shelf” pavilion project was curated by Company, Place and led by artist and craftsperson Rio Kobayashi and engineer Steve Webb of Webb Yates. The innovative timber and stone structure was inspired by traditional Japanese architecture and designed with minimal screws and joints. The use of weighted, prestressed and clamped components enabled stability whilst allowing for it to be easily disassembled and reused. 

Heterophylly was the first intervention of the ”On the Shelf” series, which invited artists to create installations that sat in conversation with the pavilion. The title references the ability of plants to adapt their leaf shapes depending on the environment that they are found in. The sculptures were created using redwood trunks, logs of regenerating willow, stumps of Prunus and bamboo off-cuts. Intentionally tied to blocks of limestone from the Portland quarry’s graveyard, visitors were invited to observe the slow organic transformations within an urban setting. The influence of the weather incorporated itself into the installation and contributed to its form, through washing tannins out of the redwood and staining the limestone. 

OFF THE SHELF, LONDON DESIGN FESTlVAL
               (September, 2024)