M A T T H E W G L O V E R

Matthew Glover

Taylor Grindley - Microcosms for Immersion: The Childhood Factory

Matthew Glover

an expansion of the threshold between the artist  and the audience; the gallery and the street

Through a forensic analysis of the former Odeon Building on Pilgrim Street, my project acts almost a memorial, to the building and celebrating a home-grown and grassroots artistic community, which are now being displaced from Pilgrim Street, as well as a tour de force demonstration of what could have been an extraordinary public space.

The proposal was strongly influenced by the context it sits in and the people that it serves, the sense of community being an important factor in the concept and design. The building acts as an extension to the existing community centre adjacent to the site and provides a gallery and an art and literature school for the people of Mouraria.

Emerging from the void in civic provision left by the closure of Sheffield Central Library, this thesis project proposes the conception of the ‘Living Library’, an evolution of the public library typology for the age of mass information, a physical space for information to touch down, for people to engage with it, contribute to it, and bring it to life. Located in Castlegate, Sheffield’s historic but overlooked quarter, the Living Library will play a crucial role in bringing a sense of pride, purpose and citizenship back to the area. The proposal forms a porous urban block, mediating between the city centre and the green corridor beyond.