Tandem: design of a practice

TANDEM: DESIGN OF A PRACTICE attempts to chart the design process and conceptual workings of the small architectural design practice Tandem design studio. The examination and cataloging is ultimately represented through a series of different voices: anecdotes, narratives and touchstones. Combined they form a previously unheard description of the tactics/techniques, interests and dreams of the 2 principals of the practice.<br><br>During the process a series of recurrent themes emerged that were explored in the catalogue accompanying the final exhibition. Themes included; the role of the image, frameworks for difference, one medium to another, controlled collaboration.<br>As described in the catalogue:<br><i>'The masters was/is the chance to engage with practice from the outside. <br>What is it, we do?<br>Why do we do it?<br>What does this tell us about ourselves?<br>And then -<br>Should we keep doing things this way?'<br> ' Ultimately our design practice evolves or withers on the strength of communal understanding; without the ability to be self reflexive the narrative that drives our approach remains singular and stagnates; The Masters by practice has set in train a process of recording and self renewal.'<br>'What we came to understand through the conversations initiated by this programme was that as much as any building project we had designed our practice; bringing our personal and shared experiences from other practices to form the idea of an entity we called tandem.'</i><br>