Framing and Containing
Narratives, invisible yet present. The scheme’s purpose is to extend and facilitate overarching events. Events that may be read in the gathering nature of themes throughout space and time, but are not necessarily experienced directly.
Building a residential retreat and performance hall, Stories in Balloch, a harbour town by the banks of lock Lomond are confronted by the ethos of Sistema, a charity organisation helping children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Unravelling sequences of events that took place in Balloch is necessary to realise its significance. Namely geographic phenomena, a human historic response and present local culture as a consequence.
Appreciating Sistema’s ethos is the first step of empathy, in order to cultivate and grow their values. Building a community and giving meaning to children through playing music.
Place and People are bounded together through material intervention. Energy facilitates, but is not limited, to basic needs of forming the stage. Transcending the notion of energy for physical to spiritual, structure and construction aim to trigger an emotional response to its users, to set the scene.
Essentially, the scheme is a reminder, through the use of metaphors. It is articulated by a series of basalt splaying columns and perpendicularly arranged timber beams, with the roles, of framing and containing.
