30th June 2012
11am - 4pm
As part of the Fitzrovia hub, the collaborative and discursive nature of architecture is going to be exhibited in the Manual Caff at Store Street Espresso. Designers and artists will spend the day dreaming and drawing objects that allow Manual Caff to function in its own special way, like tea urns, grills and egg display stands. Come down for a coffee or a chat and experience Manual Caff take one more step towards reality.
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In this exciting new venture, Hugh McEwen and Omar Ghazal aim to explore their shared interest in breaking down the contemporary role of representation in architecture. Rather than describe other spaces through hyperreal renders and inaccessible orthographics, this collaborative project comes into being as a direct result of the intimate scale of its hosting space. This allows a new reality; coined Manual Caff, to unfold from within resulting in works that simultaneously merge with and emerge from the fabric of its incubating space.
The exhibition is comprised of diverse elements that engage with the daily functioning of the Espresso Bar. Four drawings depict hybrids of the current space and the vision of a future Caff that remains related to Store Street Espresso in scale and function then re-appropriates its objects and details providing its own narratives. The exhibition stretches between its inception and realisation; at one end sits the Document Template, the founding component to the geometric and perspectival realisations of the space. At the bar, punters of Manual Caff are confronted by a large panel illustrating the geometric layout of the proposed bar.
Objects from Manual Caff that engage with the day to day functioning of the espresso bar are placed around the SSE. These physical objects, such as playfully coloured ashtrays and geometrically deceptive cushions, appear in the drawings enforcing the moments in which future visions leak into present reality. Amidst the architectural images, a staged photograph by Marcus Andren presents an alternative theatrical narrative. The transpiring theatrics are further explored through performances and videos directed by Marie Sennyey. This all culminates in the question: Is it ready to be built, or – along with its architecture, its menu and its clientele - does it already exist?
The project will be documented in a manual, a catalogue and a website that will expand as the exhibition progresses. In its totally, this exhibition conjures up portals to a new event space hosting live performances and talks that explore the process of creating this site-specific event as well as the commonality of the individual works.
