About

It all started when…

I am an ARB accredited architect with eight years professional experience, five years post qualification. Since graduating from my Masters I have worked for numerous famous architecture practices. My experience ranges from exhibition work, book publications, architectural practice to fine art. I have worked on all stages of construction. I would like to take this moment to explain the kind of architect/designer I am.

Growing up in London’s first Applied Arts Showhouse I was surrounded by the work of numerous artists showcasing their designs in a domestic setting to attract commissions. This type of upbringing ensures a different relationship with art, and an appreciation of how integral it is to daily life. It produces a level of respect for design, and more importantly, for ideas. In my home everything from our light switches to our front gate was designed by an artist. The interaction between the human and the environment was stimulating, and yet also everyday. 

I try to continually use my artwork and architecture to progress ideas in this area, interrogating how geometry can be used to evoke healthy and desirable living, how colour can stimulate positive emotions. The client is an integral aspect of how any design develops, whether in fine art or architecture, but as a concept the client is often reduced to a list of targets. 

For my final project in my Masters I considered how design could be developed through the subconscious; a technique I continue to use now through my art studies. The approach removes personal taste, influence, plans, and allows the form to produce itself. Once an initial move is made it is very difficult for the next move to be random. Chance design removes this continuum. I produced canopies made from dry paint, columns formed from elastic bands, bricks made in the shape of Lego and coke can walls. The materials were everyday items, and were not always fit for purpose, but they evoked a response from the viewer or inhabitant. The decay of the materials over time also gave a different depth to the structural pieces, producing a design that could change. Through this project I studied how people can use their waste materials to develop their environment, obtaining skills of construction in the process.

My ideal would be for art to inform architecture, and not be seen as a separate entity. My home was permanently changing colour and layout; it made architecture exciting. We had a storage chest that changed colour so many times that as children the phrase ‘mind the paint’ referred to the item, rather than the wet surface. It is a delight to me to see that by inhabiting this art world the etymology of an everyday item was changed. 

I chose to go into architecture: I worked closely with exhibitions and architects during my school years and decided I wanted the spaces that we inhabit to be pieces of art themselves. I have a strong enthusiasm for science and mathematics as well as the arts. For me, materiality and geometry are integral aspects to art and form. However, producing artwork for my clients is my main passion.

London is incredibly diverse, with people from all cultures and backgrounds, some stopping for a few days others for a lifetime. The constant flow of different faces provides glimpses into personal moments; a yawn or a sneeze. These moments that connect strangers are what really fascinate me, and I try to capture these moments through portraiture. My fine art studies have strong connections to my architecture. They evaluate human/animal form, and establish moments in a personality; they play with colour and expressions. Appreciation and consideration of a client has the potential to define the spaces built for them to inhabit. 

I would like to work with people who have a strong passion for composition, colour, and atmosphere. I want to design architecture that evokes emotions, produce art that inspires us, using design in tandem with other areas of the art world. I love working with clients who share my passions. 

Ruby Ray Penny