Located in Bilbao’s upcoming neighbourhood La Vieja, the project for an art gallery focusing on works of local and international photography artists is situated in a former workshop, derelict for years.
The design was to great extend influenced by the clients request to preserve the ambience of the space’s architecture and it’s enclosing brick and stone walls, while obtaining a contemporary, flexible exhibition space. This set-up was accompanied by our intention as designers to avoid the conventional concept of the white cube.
The project thus focuses on a respectful and in-detail restoration of the existing perimeters, providing the needed wall surface for the art pieces by a minimal architectural intervention: A series of wall-mounted wooden panels inserted between the structural elements create a second, neutral layer for the art to be shown.
An additional movable wall panel increases the exhibition surface available and gives possibility to various layouts according to the particular requirements of each exhibition. The abstract appearance of the panels as a partially overlaid second skin contrast with it’s build environment, emphasizing the physical qualities of the restored brick walls.
