A written description for Friday pinup
Boudicca was a celtic warrior queen who lived in the Norfolk flatlands around 60AD. She led the most successful uprising of the British Isles against the romans in order to protect her people (her tribe, the Iceni,) and her way of life.
The Celtic way of life revolved heavily around the tribe and their religious superstitions, which were very much in connection with nature. Therefore, the design needs to embody ideas of protecting the tribe, oneness of the tribe, protection of nature, and oneness of nature.
The two shells enclose a central space and separate the tribe from the outer world. Inside, swirling, naturalistic forms create dynamic vertical movement and create a focal point above the ‘altar’. The altar is a simple curved platform along the back of the space. It represents the path of Boudicca’s legendary chariot around the battlefield - a position of both hierarchy and superiority, and servitude. From the interior, the structure is soft and warm, with the inside reflected in the windows and the space well-insulated from outside.
From the exterior, the shells turn their backs on the viewer, and are ringed by spikes. The viewer wants to be safe inside, but doesn’t want to enter without permission.
The forms and materials are derived from timber and nature. The entrance is inserted into the smaller shell, and supports it as if it is preventing the shell from slamming shut to outsiders. It creates a defined threshold between the inclusiveness and safety of the tribe, and its defensiveness to outsiders.
Unresolved:
The ground plane and adequate connection to nature. I want to address both of these with site in mind, and probably physically redesign the programme while keeping all concepts intact. I would like to bring the element of threshold and the spiral forms into the next stage as well, but integration with site and exploration of the ground plane is the most important next step.
