A collaboration between Francisco Ibáñez Hantke and The Velvet Cell, for the launch event for the Non-Structures book.
Pop-up Exhibition: Friday 22nd September
Book Launch Event : Friday 22nd September, 6:30 – 9pm
The series ‘Non-Structures’ presents London – and cities in general – as a spectacle of constant conflict, negotiation and flux. Capturing key moments in the life of diverse buildings, the images reveal a condition of transience, trapped as these buildings and sites are between the boundaries of architecture and ruin, planning and chance, process and product. The term ‘Non-Structures’ alludes to anthropologist Marc Augé’s influential work ’Non-Places’; this boundary condition, defined by an absence of identity, has lent its name to the series.
Using similar parameters of light, composition and scale, these ‘Non-Structures’ appear to be frozen in a specific time and context, as dysfunctional devices that question collectively the processes of change and the impermanence of the city. From the demolition of iconic buildings such as Robin Hood Gardens to various transformations of anonymous buildings in London, the photographs aim to unveil the unexpected and sculptural morphology of these ‘non-structures’, while simultaneously documenting the constant tension that exists with their surroundings. Can these ‘non-structures’ be considered involuntary works of art?
Beyond visual documentation, this series of images initiates a dialogue concerned with what type of future we want for the places in which we live, work, and pass the time.
Francisco Ibáñez Hantke is an architect, urban planner and photographer specialised in urban regeneration. He divides his time between designing and managing urban regeneration projects as part of multidisciplinary teams and working on audiovisual research projects on cities architecture, townscape and identity. Ibáñez Hantke’s work in these two areas complements each other, allowing him to explore cities from different angles and perspectives in an attempt to understand their unique opportunities and challenges.
The Velvet Cell is an independent photobook publishing house based in Berlin, Germany, run by Éanna de Fréine and Ricardo Nunes. Established by Éanna de Fréine in 2011, they wanted to create a publishing house that connects new and established authors to a wider audience through the medium of beautifully designed editions. The Velvet Cell is rooted primarily in the themes of modernity, urbanisation and the man-altered world – using the photobook as a medium for this conversation.
Their approach is single-minded: to create beautiful, interesting and informative books that bring delight to people, an help them see the world in new ways. In the 10 years they’ve been around, they have become known as a source of quality photography projects, by both established and up-and-coming artists. The Velvet Cell prides themselves on the care and thoughtfulness that goes into every stage of the book-making process, and strive to reflect the diversity of visual arts publishing today.
