Mayfair Art Society, 2020

Mayfair is where art meets. Renowned as the home of several of London’s famous galleries and auction houses, it’s the hunting ground of the world’s most formidable art dealers. It is a unique environment, where collectors and gallerists meet in the street and catch up over coffee. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Cork Street has been lined with the most prominent commercial art galleries. The street runs close to Burlington House, which houses the Royal Academy of Arts.

The project design is to introduce the visitors, gallerists, artists, buyers in Mayfair a new perspective on the art world in Mayfair. As well as providing young artists the opportunities and platforms to connect with the auction houses and different buyers. By using the relationship between galleries, auction houses and the public to create a unique platform between the primary and secondary market in the art world. The proposal cater for young artists who are starting out, who can't afford to pay to exhibit their work and who won't be on the auction radar the opportunities to showcase. As well as for the public who love art, and would like to support the artists but don't necessarily know where to see their work.

The intervention area is located within Royal Academy of Arts and the Cork Street, with crossing between New Bond Street and Burton Street. Starting from the RA and ending at St. George Street. The proposal identify negative spaces within the public realm, and create open spaces for the public, also to engage people with roads and pavements. As well as creating feasible spaces for newly established artists within urban blocks of the area. The proposal reverse the imbalance of pedestrians and vehicles, by only allowing cars and vans to pass through the site at specific times, also creating accessible routes for the people at night-time.

Collaborators: Qiaoxi Wu

How?

access of public audience at the area

Where?

interconnection of courtyard spaces to our route

Why?

proposed strategies and functions for the area, to revive cork street

When?

only pedestrians are allowed to access the area at night time

The passage

Spaces for exhibiting large scale sculptures and installations, the passage starts from the ‘slot’ gallery and leads towards the auction house.

Urban gap house

Proposal B uses the concept of urban gap housing to create a sense of transparency. You can see the building is situated at the beginning of Cork Street where the building is being transformed into a gap art gallery; the building serve as the entrance to our route, it is able to lead people coming out of the RA into an internal passage, the passage allows artists mainly mix-media artists to exhibit their work. It leads people to the auction house which eventually leads people into area A.