An artistic reflection on the impact of David Adjaye's architecture
for the Idea Stores in London.
Daniela Keiser ranks among the most renowned contemporary artists in
Switzerland. In 2017 she was awarded the Swiss national art prize Prix
Meret Oppenheim as well as a studio grant from Landis & Gyr Stiftung
that enabled her to embark on an extended stay in London's East End.
There she discovered the Idea Store, the public library on Whitechapel
Road built by British architect David Adjaye. Upon its opening to the
public, this institution quickly became a meeting place for a broad
spectrum of society, including socially disadvantaged people. The goal
of the Idea Stores--eight of them have been opened in various London
boroughs since 2005--is to enhance formerly neglected neighborhoods and
offer a low-threshold source of education and information.
From that initial Idea Store on Whitechapel Road, Daniela Keiser began
to take pictures of the goings-on in the street outside. Her
Library--Idea Store, 321 Whitechapel Rd, Shadwell, London E1 1BU
series reveals a calm, repetitive, but insistent image of the city and
offers insight into the small everyday variations of the surrounding
world. This book pairs her photographic reflections with a conversation
between David Adjaye and art and architecture historian Philip Ursprung.
They talk about Keiser's perception of the site and--without actually
showing the building--the impact of urban design and the architect's
intentions.
