In Memory Of The Elephant London,UK

We live in a world of information overload in which the notion of truth has become ambiguous and contentious. This has resulted in the atomisation of society where discussion is polarised and different groups cannot agree. The lack of everyday civic space in which people can gather, access information and debate has also compounded this problem. But, communication is not the only entity affected by entropy, town centers are also in decline and are in need of revitalisation. 

The aim of the project is to create a multicultural ecosystem that takes on the role of cultural spaces in a time where everything is questioned. The project proposes that town centres can be adapted as places of knowledge that promote value in access to dialogue to enable this historical re-stitching and political recognition.

Developing a vocabulary of layering, the design actions will take shape by re-using an existing shopping centre in Elephant and Castle. Absorbed with memories, the cladding, made of textiles, becomes the vehicle of recovering voices. Varying in pace and going from the public market to intimate spaces, the insertions create repositories that are not fixed in use. Introducing a reformed, space of calmness within this transient place to create a cultural activator for an unloved Elephant and Castle.