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A reflection of art, design and architecture at Leighton House
Olivia Pickup, Level 6 Architectural Apprentice
When Lord Leighton died in 1896, he left in his wake a house and collection of great significance. Leighton House, the Victorian ‘Studio House’ designed by Leighton with his architect George Aitchison, was complete with tiles from the Middle-East, gold mosaic friezes and opulent decoration, in combination with the more prosaic spaces for living and working. For more than a century, it has been a museum of extraordinary interiors with artwork by Leighton and his contemporaries that made up the Holland Park Circle.
Over its lifetime, the house has been subject to numerous expansions, the latest undertaken by BDP’s heritage experts has resulted in a captivating museum experience with enhanced accessibility, superior visitor and collection care facilities, and new gallery and staff spaces.
In early July 2023, BDP sponsored a Venetian-themed garden party on the grounds of the museum. As part of this sponsorship, a team of architecture apprentices including myself and Csaba Nemeth and led by Robyn Poulson, designed and built fully sustainable, recyclable art installations, using the landscapes and architecture of St. Mark's Square in Venice as our inspiration. Our approach resulted in innovative, beautiful structures, constructed using just cardboard, flour, water, and rope.
It was a great opportunity to showcase the craftsmanship of our young team, with the decorative Campanile Bell Tower model reaching a height of more than five metres. The task also saw us create other venetian landmarks including an approximately 1:15 scale St Mark’s Basilica and a raft of gondola poles which were scattered around the garden. In classic BDP style, a multidisciplinary approach meant our civil and structural engineering team helped us to build and erect the structures and, on the night, the BDP lighting team expertly illuminated each piece, bringing life and colour to the designs, adding an enchanting ambience to the party.
The journey of bringing these art installations to life began with careful curation on a miniature scale, using paper. The flat elevations were then transferred to Rhino software, allowing the team to trace over the designs using 2D lines.
To create an optical illusion of a larger structure, the drawn buildings were distorted, presenting a skewed perspective. The resulting CAD files were exported and scaled to fit onto a series of 1000x1200mm cardboard sheets.
The construction process involved hand-cut slots in the cardboard to join the larger sheets together, while smaller details, including the laser-cut elements, were meticulously assembled using a paste made from flour and water. The effectiveness of this paste exceeded expectations, providing a sturdy and reliable adhesive. Although some unexpected winds meant the use of some rope to hold up our mammoth models, the project was a huge success.
This fusion of art, architecture, and sustainable design is something that we all strive for as we develop and learn our trade and it is nothing more than a reflection of the timeless allure of Venetian architecture and of Leighton House itself. It was a privilege to be involved in the project and to witness the art, sculptures and architecture that preserve and celebrate the legacy of Lord Leighton, and his visionary approach to art and life.
