Radical Rooms explores the power of the domestic plan and reexamines the role of women in architecture

RIBA Architecture Gallery, 66 Portland Place, London, W1B 1AD. FREE.

Thursday 28 April 2022 – Saturday 30 July 2022

Radical Rooms: Power of the Plan is the latest exhibition by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), created through a special partnership between architect Charles Holland and visual artist Di Mainstone.

Spanning nearly 500 years, the exhibition is anchored in three domestic buildings from the 16th, 18th, and 20th centuries: Hardwick Hall, A la Ronde and the Hopkins House. Each exemplifies the way that power structures are embedded in the domestic plan, revealing the social relationships of their time. Radical Rooms also exhibits the profound role of women in their development and design, an influence that has persistently been left out of the history of architecture.

Drawing on an alternative history of female protagonists Bess of Hardwick, Jane and Mary Parminter and Patty Hopkins, Radical Rooms uses stories from architectural history and highlights moments when the plan has challenged the conventions of domestic life.

With a layout inspired by the Palladian house plan, the exhibition forms an abstract grid of connected rooms defined by curtains and floor patterns. Animated and occupied by the four women, these spaces share their stories through elaborate costume design and a music score that makes up an immersive audio-visual performance.

Where Charles Holland draws attention to the power in the plan through the organisation of space, Di Mainstone focuses on the people, bringing to life four key characters and revealing their history and influence on the construction of the three domestic properties. A shared language of pattern, decoration and colour link the two together.

The gallery is divided into three sections, separated by fabric and carpet, which make reference to specific details within each house. For example, curtains in the space mimic the tapestries which hang in Hardwick Hall, providing a function beyond decoration and concealing architectural projects from the RIBA Collections. These artefacts reveal stories that have been largely overlooked, whether it’s the documentation of women’s role within architectural history or the representation of buildings created by or for intergender relationships.

The exhibition also showcases several other non-conventional domestic spaces from the RIBA Collections.

Featured in Radical Rooms:

16th century: Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire commissioned by Bess of Hardwick (Elizabeth Shrewsbury, Countess of Shrewsbury)

1590 - 1597

The 16th-century country house was built in the Elizabethan style and recognised as one of the earliest examples in Britain of the influence of the European Renaissance. The house design has been attributed to Robert Smythson despite the considerable role in its formation and construction by Bess of Hardwick. Prior to the establishing of clear roles of client and architect, these activities were often ambiguous and authorship ascribed retrospectively. The initials ES sit proudly on top of the turrets of the building, proclaiming the role of Bess in the construction and demonstrating her vision, wealth and resolve. Robert Smythson drew up a plan and a layout of the building, whilst Bess adapted the plan during construction, creating modifications to ensure each room was striking both in scale as well as the interior features.

18th century: A la Ronde, designed by Jane and Mary Parminter

1798

An almost-circular (sixteen-sided) cottage was built near Exmouth in the late 18th century by two female cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter. The house was built within a period where round houses were fashionable in a Picturesque style (shown in the pattern books by John Plaw which are on display). The spouseless women chose an alternative life, travelling extensively on a 10-year tour of Europe. The property is said to be inspired by the 6th century Byzantine basilica of San Vitale of Ravenna, Italy. The interior of the house is richly and idiosyncratically decorated using a variety of unusual techniques including inlaid feathers and a shell galley. Spatially, the interlinked rooms which radiate out from a central triple-height hall allowed the cousins to occupy rooms according to the time of day, subverting conventional concepts of functionality and use.

20th century: Hopkins House, designed by Patty and Michael Hopkins

1976

This 1970s home combined domestic and office use for the Hopkins’ family and architectural practice. It was built in the hi-tech style, promoting the use of industrialised and standardised parts. The house deliberately blurs home and office life, using a pared-down interior that moves from one room to the other with minimal separation and enclosure. Similar to other contemporary hi-tech houses, it avoids conventional domestic planning as much as it does conventional materials, aiming for flexible, non-hierarchical space that can be used in different ways and for different purposes.

Charles Holland of Charles Holland Architects said of Radical Rooms:

“Radical Rooms explores profound questions around the power structures that shape our houses and our home lives. It also reflects back on a history of houses through the RIBA archive. It’s been inspiring to explore this with Di in ways that are hopefully new, unexpected and revealing.”

Di Mainstone:

“Collaborating with Charles Holland Architects and the RIBA on Radical Rooms has been a wonderful adventure. As a non-architect, there was so much to absorb during our visits to the RIBA archive, but as we delved deeply into the wealth of domestic plans and images of homes, four extraordinary women shone through. It was such an honour to explore the stories of these trailblazers through a 21st Century lens, using costume, soundscapes, and film.”

RIBA Curator of Exhibitions, Margaret Cubbage:

“We’re delighted to reveal Radical Rooms - a unique commission and collaboration with Charles Holland and Di Mainstone, each bringing their own perspective to the concept of power within the domestic plan. This immersive exhibition provides a space to engage and interpret architecture in an unconventional way, while presenting more accurate representations of architectural history through the RIBA Collections.”

Notes to Editors

1. Press contact: rob@robertfiehn.com / bobby@bobby-jewell.com
2. Press images can be downloaded here.
3. A programme of events will run alongside the exhibition. See here for more information on events and for any updates on exhibition booking requirements.
4. Charles Holland Architects is an international architecture and design studio. The studio’s work is multi-disciplinary in scope and includes buildings, exhibitions, public art and urban design as well as teaching and research. They work at a variety of scales from that of the city masterplan to the domestic interior and for public, private and residential clients. CHA have worked for clients including the National Trust, the British Council, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the London Borough of Croydon. Current projects include a major new public space in south London, a number of new houses, a public artwork on the North Downs Way and a forthcoming exhibition at the RIBA. Before forming CHA, Charles was a founding director of Ordinary Architecture and a director of FAT. Whilst at FAT he was the director in charge of a number of key projects including A House For Essex, the practice's collaboration with Grayson Perry.
5. Di Mainstone is a multi-disciplinary artist. Fascinated with the human form, she creates body-centric devices and work ranging in scale, from wearable musical instruments to large-scale audio-visual installations and interactive sculptures within the public realm. Working collaboratively across disciplines, Di explores how digital technologies and physical materials can inspire us to move expressively and connect with our environment through a multi-sensory lens. Di's most acclaimed works are the Human Harp, a digital musical device that transformed Brooklyn Bridge into a giant harp, and an audio-visual environment called Soundpit which was a sellout success at Southbank Centre. Di is also a multi-award-winning filmmaker. She writes and directs films that feature her inventions, sculptures, and costumes and focus on topics such as climate justice, re-wilding, and forgotten women’s histories. Di's climate inspired art-film Time Bascule, commissioned by London’s Tower Bridge, has won multiple international awards. Her films have been funded by the City of London Corporation, WITCiH, ACE, British Council, BFI. Di's work has been exhibited and performed at Southbank Centre, Tower Bridge, Roundhouse, National Portrait Gallery, Swedish National Touring Theatre, Barbican, The Sage, V&A, and more.
6. Waverley is the materials sponsor for Radical Rooms. For more information on Waverley visit: https://waverley.co.uk/
7. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a global professional membership body that serves its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. Follow @RIBA on Twitter for regular updates.