Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery II   | DSDHA

DSDHA has just completed a second studio and gallery for the internationally acclaimed ceramic artist and writer Edmund de Waal, in a converted 1960s munitions warehouse in West Norwood, south London.   This follows the narrative of the artist’s previous studio in Tulse Hill, which DSDHA completed in 2005, by taking a strategic approach to the reuse of neglected buildings as places of work and creativity. In addition DSDHA was able to build on earlier collaborations with de Waal on other projects, for example ‘5 Ways of Standing’ and The Sliver Building, Soho. DSDHA’s design for the studio was developed through a process of careful dissection in order to understand the limitations and potential of the existing structure. The practice worked closely with Edmund to interpret his unique requirements for different scales of space to form and exhibit the large scale installations of porcelain vessels for which he is renowned. This has resulted in a bespoke series of connected environments conducive to the studio’s many processes, from technical and practical activities of working with clay, including throwing, glazing and firing; to office-based administration, archive, storage and display of his work; as well as more contemplative areas for his writing and to house Edmund’s library.  The studio is one of several properties located within an anonymous small light industrial yard in south London. The original site comprised two adjoining buildings: an open plan warehouse space annexed to a two-storey office building. The concept was to retain the character and volume of the warehouse, but to carefully remove sections of the first floor concrete slab of the office building, forming a series of double-height spaces for display and providing a greater degree of connection within the building as a whole. Equally, the insertion of a new partition and mezzanine at one end of the original warehouse has created a more intimate scale of spaces for working.  A discreet exterior opens into a generous entrance hallway which is also a double-height gallery space carved out of the existing stairwell. This entrance provides an immediate introduction to de Waal’s work, with a glazed vitrine set into the polished concrete floor below offering an unexpected view of the artist’s collection of porcelain vessels, whilst a dynamic view leads up towards the library and writing studio which is an intrinsic part of the studio.  The volume flows into the expansive main studio space, which occupies the former warehouse. This is an open white space with a dark polished concrete floor, which is naturally lit by means of a continuous north-facing roof light to reveal the subtle variations of the work and the vitrines in which they are displayed. The scale of this space allows de Waal to display his work in a way that was not possible in his previous studio by simulating the galleries where it is ultimately shown around the world. Within the enormous space, a line of bespoke work tables is animated by the processes of packing and unpacking the cargos of work as it is transported to and from the studio. It is a place to mock-up as well as test the spatial capacity and potential for future exhibitions and installations.   Other bespoke joinery elements have been designed specifically for the space to define a series of flexible working areas for Edmund’s team. A new window has been cut to reveal glimpses of a small courtyard adjacent to the studio office, and a series of smaller side spaces for a kitchen and packing and archiving, erode the primary gallery space and bring a new scale of occupation.   At one end of the main studio a full-height wall partly conceals a series of spaces for working with clay, including the glazing area and kiln room. A new mezzanine overlooks the glazing area, providing a more intimate area in which Edmund can sit at his potter’s wheel.   On the upper floor of the former annex a library and writing space has been created, connected to the main studio through the newly formed double-height display space and entrance hall, connected only by light and sound but visually kept separate. 

 DSDHA’s approach has been to build on their detailed knowledge of de Waal and to embrace rather than conceal the history and industrial character of the existing building. The series of interventions and a modest palette of materials have sought to unify the space and result in a calm and light-filled working environment to balance the relationship between making, display and contemplation. As with Edmund’s own work, the building provides a new way of understanding existing spaces as backdrops to evolving ideas, ways of seeing and perceiving future narratives