'radical rooms: power of the plan' opens at RIBA gallery in london

‘Radical Rooms’ explores power relations rooted in past-century domestic spaces

‘Radical Rooms: Power of the Plan’ is RIBA’s latest exhibition, created through a special partnership between architect Charles Holland and visual artist Di Mainstone. The show is anchored in three domestic buildings from the 16th, 18th, and 20th centuries — Hardwick Hall, A la Ronde, and the Hopkins House — each one highlighting the profound role of women in their development and design, an influence that has persistently been left out of the history of architecture.

image © Gareth Gardner

celebrating four women figures & their influence on architectural history

Spanning nearly 500 years, ‘Radical Rooms’ by RIBA (see more here) uses stories from architectural history and highlights moments when the building plan has challenged the conventions of domestic life. Specifically, the exhibition forms an abstract grid of connected rooms defined by curtains and floor patterns with a layout inspired by the Palladian house type. Animated and occupied by four women, the architectural patrons of the three buildings — Bess of Hardwick, Jane and Mary Parminter, and Patty Hopkins — these spaces share their stories through an elaborate costume design and immersive audio-visual performance.

image © Gareth Gardner

Where Charles Holland (see more here) draws attention to the power in the plan through the organization of space, Di Mainstone (see more here) focuses on bringing to life four key characters and revealing their history and influence on the construction of each domestic property. A shared language of pattern, decoration, and color links the two together. Throughout the gallery, original drawings and artifacts from the RIBA Collections are discreetly placed for visitors to discover stories that have been largely overlooked.

‘Radical Rooms’ is currently running until July 30, 2022. Visitors can catch the show between Monday and Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and on Tuesdays from 10am to 8pm. Entrance is free and open to all.