Studio International

Published 11/09/2017

Studio Ben Allen: The Clearing

On the first floor cafe/bar of Folkestone’s Quarterhouse, a performance venue for music, theatre, dance and comedy, architect Ben Allen has created an ornate gothic pavilion as a “visitor centre” for the triennial. The Clearing was inspired by a request from the curatorial team for an immersive work. Studio International asked Allen where the idea for this structure came from and what it is trying to express

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Having recently finished a long stint in Olafur Eliasson’s Berlin studio, immersive is second nature for Allen. The title is inspired by a Heideggerian term, meaning a space in which anything at all can manifest, or ideas can be revealed. The Clearing also evokes trees, hence the gothic, tree-like structure featuring geometries inspired by medieval French vaulting. Says Allen: “In our work we’re very interested in how buildings make people feel. It’s a very sensory space and this structure changes the acoustic and makes light feel very different.” With mirrors placed either side of it, the effect is magnified.

Studio Ben Allen: The Clearing
Folkestone Triennial 2017
2 September – 5 November 2017

Interview by VERONICA SIMPSON
Filmed by MARTIN KENNEDY