RIPPLE RIPPLE RIPPLING:
DRY STONE HOUSE FOUNDATION
Temporary public installation
Southwest corner of Bedford Square, London, UK.
11 October – 6 November, 2024
Southwest corner of Bedford Square, London, UK.
11 October – 6 November, 2024
A work-in-progress house foundation at 1:1 scale on Bedford Square. This temporary structure, in place for 28 days, provides a stage for performances and events as well as a meanwhile garden.
House foundations in Shigushan are usually made of stones reused from demolition sites in the village, and they always host multiple futures, oscillating between a potential home and a ruin depending on the family’s financial situation. While waiting for their next phase, these foundations often function as kitchen gardens and children’s playgrounds.
The materials and assembly techniques of this structure on Bedford Square have been adapted to the UK context. In addition to evoking the dry-stone walling practice common in parts of the British countryside, this structure also enacts the idea of reversible repair in construction that allows for material recycling and reuse. Alongside this, the superimposition of a domestic blueprint onto a privately owned public space in central London mounts a deliberate challenge to the fundamental split between the public and the private that is deeply rooted in the UK.
Ripple Ripple Rippling
She offers a cut of water to you, to everyone that comes [Durational performance by Mengfan Wang and Shuyi Alice Wang], Southwest corner of Bedford Square, London, 10 October 2024
Jesse Darling in conversation with Jingru (Cyan) Cheng & Chen Zhan, AA Lecture Hall, London, 24 October 2024
Reflexive food gathering with Barney Pau, Southwest corner of Bedford Square, London,
5 November 2024
Dry Stone Deconstruction Workshop [Laura Stargala and Timothée Ryan with AA Material Arcade], Southwest corner of Bedford Square, London, 6 November 2024
KoozArch interview: Ripple, Traces, Drifts: Jingru (Cyan) Cheng and Chen Zhan on process-oriented practice, 2025
Wallpaper exhibition review: Architectural Association's newest show uncovers the architectural legacies of rural China's lost generation, 2024
Curators: Jingru (Cyan) Cheng, Chen Zhan, Mengfan Wang and AA Public Programme
Installation Photo: Anne Tetzlaff, Chen Zhan
Installation Video: Chen Zhan, Arturo Bandinelli, AA AV Team
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
* Drystone team led by Tim Mason and Richard Gray, with Max Higgins & Jonah Rollason from Building Crafts College, and volunteers Laura Stargala, Timothée Ryan and Octave Cusinberche.
* Foundation infill and planting by Architectural Association, Royal College of Art, London School of Architecture students and graduates: Sarah Teekay, Karmanya Gupta, Amitoz Boonga, Jassimar Singh Wahi, Selin Oktem, Ga Ho Jeffery Yu, Nazar Efendiev, Sedef Goke, Jiayi Wang, Lucy Stubbs and Clara; AA Facility staff; Passers-by, lorry drivers, Jess & Kier building team and Bedford Estates gardeners.
* Stone advice: Juliet Haysom and Vanessa Norwood
* Supported by the Architectural Association, Graham Foundation and Huazhong University of Science and Technology
* In-kind material support: Haysom Purbeck Stone and Ty-Mawr Lime.