‘Momentto’ installation at the London Festival of Architecture

Champion Timber’s Terry McDermott sees the value of engaging with students and approached TRADA’s University Engagement Manager Tabitha Binding to see if there were any upcoming opportunities. As a result, Champion Timber is sponsoring an installation by Momentto to at LFA 2019 through the supply of timber and fixings. Momentto, a group of five architecture graduates who met whilst attending Nottingham University, won a competition to build the installation. The group consists of: Jennifer Ge, The Bartlett/UCL Binhan Wang, Architectural Association’s School of Architecture Yue Ying, University of Cambridge Mandy Hong, University of Nottingham Jiaxin Wu, University of Sheffield Situated in the busy courtyard of Oxo Tower Wharf, their design highlights three-dimensional spaces through two-dimensional illusions and urges visitors to question the volumes of everyday mundane objects. Momentto intends to disrupt the flow: they want to encourage interaction among passers-by and allow people to re-assess the boundaries of their journey during the month of June. Together with Sophie Cain, Design Curator for Coin Street Community Builders (the owners of Oxo Tower Wharf), Tabitha Binding called on contacts and networks, breaking boundaries and forging collaborations between the people that came together to enable the student concept to be realised: Momentto; Coin Street Community Builders and Oxo Tower Wharf; TRADA; Champion Timber; 0-DACE and Michael Williams Designs. Support was also provided by the Bartlett School of Architecture, the Institute of Carpenters, the Building Crafts College and the TTF. The installation will have a second life when it is deconstructed and removed by Public Works; they will host a two-week workshop for students from Sweden and the UK at R-Urban Poplar in London, which will focus on designing, building and choreographing a set of tools for performative city-making. SCA together with Huws Gray and Rigeons will provide further material and this second build will feature at the Tate in late July. Tabitha Binding, on the opportunity to get involved, added: ‘Working with students, professionals and the timber trade, educating, enthusing and enabling people to come together to deliver fantastic projects such as Momentto’s timber pavilion, is hugely rewarding. Each person plays a part – but speaks a different language, works to different time scale and has different priorities; the challenge is to break through those barriers, remove obstacles and encourage holistic working. These students have learnt valuable lessons about timber, design, engineering, construction and working collaboratively. Their understanding will be further enhanced when we visit Champion Timber’s Edenbridge depot in June to explore what other timber and timber products they could have used in place of Pine, Spruce and Yellow Balau.’

For more information on ‘Momentto’ installation at the London Festival of Architecture talk to Champion Timber