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South Kensington gets an artistic makeunder

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The “Transforming South Kensington” competition by the Exhibition Road cultural group recently came to and end, with the eleven competing groups narrowed down to a final three. The competition, which was organised in conjunction with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, was looking for artistic ideas concerning what to do with the tunnel underneath South Kensington station, and was open to teams from the Royal College of Art (RCA), Imperial College and the Royal College of Music.

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Groups from all three colleges pitched ideas as to how the space could be used to fill the tunnel that leads to South Kensington's museums, with the three winning groups; The Secret Guide to Albertopolis, Connection and The Complete History of the Universe, each claiming a £2000 prize fund. Elements from all three designs will now be taken on to the next design development stage, in what is just one small part of Transport for London's improvement plans for the area.

Each of the three winning groups claimed a £2000 prize fund

The nine-strong judging panel was composed of (amongst others) Chris Cotton, CEO of the Royal Albert Hall, Eleanor Pinfield, head of art on the underground and Transport for London, and Professor Alex de Rijke, dean of the RCA School of Architecture. De Rijke said “The three winners had such conceptual clarity, and an ability to boil their ideas down,” and believes the competition was not “Just about having the strongest idea, but also about the skill in editing and presenting it.” Sir Christopher Frayling, 1851 Royal Commissioner and former RCA rector, was chair of the panel.

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Cecily Chua, one of seven RCA architecture students who make up the Secret Guide to Albertopolis group, said that in their design, which draws inspiration from the London Underground, “The colours change at entrance and exit points,” so that “They can be used as a way-finding tool.” Their group also had the idea of using the tunnel space at night to house temporary art installations such as lectures, life drawing classes, pop-out bars and skittles tournaments. She said their ideas are about using “The untapped potential of the tunnel in hours when it would usually be closed, while also improving the tunnel in the daytime with life and colour.”

The “Transforming South Kensington” competition looked for artistic ideas concerning what to do with the tunnel underneath South Kensington station

The Complete History of the Universe group, which is also composed of seven RCA architecture students, included a wooden handrail in their design, which is marked by key historical events, symbolising a conceptual timeline. Group member, Matty Mastrandrea, said they “Wanted to create something that made people think, rather than just pragmatic intervention,” and fellow team member Tom Selby added, “It isn’t too didactic and dry, but brings the tunnel to life with a sense of fun and learning.”

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The Connection group, meanwhile, which is made up of seven RCA interior design students, said their scheme looks at creating a more pleasant journey experience, with easier way-finding by injecting more light into the tunnel through the ceiling. Zara Ashby, a member of the design team, said “The tunnel has a habit of making users feel quite lost,” so they want “To allow people to flow better through reorientation, and by letting more light in due to the porous nature of the tunnel.”

Bernard Taylor has also opened an exhibition of the 11 original proposed schemes

Bernard Taylor, chairman of the 1851 Commission, has also opened an exhibition of the 11 original proposed schemes, which will be open to the public at the Henry Moore Studio in the Royal College of Art until the 19th of December. Taylor said “The project is harnessing intellectual power to create an inventive new scheme.” He also admits that “The tunnel is currently not very inspiring,” and believes this competition will give it a much needed update.

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