Apologies for our extended absence (summer holidays and all that you know) but please see below for a belated write up of the group visit to Nottingham. Apologies also for the hopefully temporary loss of our usual type-face which for some reason Google seems to have taken away from us.

Sat 17th July 2010 - Nottingham Contemporary, Weekday Cross, Nottingham: Caruso St. John Architects, 2009






Purple and gold paint, Po-Mo fluting and doily-imprinted concrete are not, I must confess, what I expected from the usually quite sober Caruso St John and that the levity stops at the front door (the interior being more, well, Caruso St Johnish...) might betray the fact that the architects are not entirely comfortable with this approach.

Or it might not. Because the flouncy stuff is pretty convincing and for all I know this may be the transitional project where both men come out of their zen-minimalist closets into a world of sequins and glitter...

The only thing I'd say about that is for the NC to have been truly 'iconic' (which I assume was the idea) it ought to have risen up from its site like a stack of meringues on a plate whereas what we actually get is a plot-shaped plan variously extruded to heights always 'respectful' of the neighbouring buildings (aka 'the context').

On a separate note, if you get a chance to see the Diane Arbus exhibition (showing at the gallery until 3rd October) make a beeline as the photos are astounding.





Steve C Sept 2010