Alternative Histories was an architectural exhibition co-curated by Jantje Engels and Marius Grootveld in collaboration with Drawing Matter and the Architecture Foundation, London. Hayatsu Architects were commissioned to respond to the frontispiece of the abbé Laugier’s 1753 Essai sur l’architecture, ‘The Primitive Hut’. It was first presented at Cork Street, London and then CIVA, Brussels.
Architecture evolves in part through material transformations, Greek temples adopting stone in place of wood is one example of this and a something we wanted to exemplify and explore within our commission.
Casting is an act of copying. Bronze is an ancient human-made material, the production of which dates back to the mid-4th millennium BC. It is a ductile alloy which does not corrode once the copper oxide layer is formed. With our response, this eternal quality of bronze transforms the most primitive construction made from wooden branches into a dignified and long-lasting architecture.
In May 2022 our bronze cast was selected to feature in the annual Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, curated by Niall McLaughlin and artist Rana Begum.
