I have always been intrigued by the space and the city around me, my obsession into architecture developed from work where I was sauntering around observing society as the Flâneur in the city, much like that of Paul Garvarni. This has helped me to explore the architecture within the city and how it interacts with those who live and work within it. This eventually moved me towards the concepts originally set out by Thomas More. However, unlike the approach of the Utopia set out by Thomas More, this work had to be reinterpreted and adapted as society has evolved from the days in which More created this envision.
My practice has primarily been based around the notion of the Utopia and during this time I have researched one of the most controversial aspects of the concept created by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon. The Barbican is situated in the heart of London, although many can see this site as a mis-representation of the Utopia. The perception of ideal living within the heart of the city, making the individual feel as if they are outside of the city with the peaceful gardens and recreational areas which many have come to love.
During my exploration into the Barbican I wanted to develop both the aesthetics of the site and combine my research of different philosophers, architects and artists, all of whom have worked within the confines of this notion. Some of this research includes that of the work of Peter Bloomfield, Le Corbusier, Jack Doyle, Fredric Jameson. All of whom have explored the idea of the Utopia within different formats and have been an inspiration to both my exploration and further development of my work. Architects such as Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright were influential during the 20th Century due to their experiments and pioneering architectural design into the 21st Century. John Gast has inspired me in the format of the notion in which I explore and strive to understand as his work was created during a time when the cultivation of the American West, and how those people during this time were looking at creating their own Utopia, is a concept that many of us still follow to this day.
Within my practice my primary focus has been the exploration as to, is the Barbican a Utopia or a Dystopia? This is something that I have conveyed in both my written and photographic work. I have also explored the potential and possibility of the specific aspects and ideas behind the site that contribute to the approach of the embryonic relationship between the Utopia and Dystopia traits that the site has developed during its lifespan (partially due to changes in society and the needs of the individual). In the future I want to continue to explore the relationship of how the notion of the Utopia will change to the needs of the individual that live within the city.