The ephemeral laboratory

The ‘Ephemeral Laboratory’ seeks to create a methodology for myself and other practitioners working within the field of ephemeral architecture.

It tests the proposition that a robust armature can be developed to act as a common methodological device in the design, curation and orchestration of a diverse range of temporal engagements with participants and other practitioners within a variety of public realms.

It explores how this framework might redefine the notion of authorship by exploring different models for creative collaboration within a range of contexts – with particular focus on establishing conditions that can encourage outcomes that are unexpected – often going beyond an author’s expectations.

This enquiry draws on my personal practice - a body of work which has departed from the conventional notion of architectural practice over the past ten years to include projects that cut across a range of scales: urban curation; education; design management; installation and social intervention.

Four key and distinct project areas and scales of operation have been identified and critically examined:
- Urban (City)
- Campus (Institution | Corporation)
- Room (Black Box | Gallery)
- Object (Making as Intervention)

Each project area reveals a different attribute of the proposed methodological framework by way of analysis and comparison, described via four sections or process stages: Audit; Strategy; Infrastructure; and Presented Outcome.