AIA UK Annual Summer Gala - June 2011

The AIA UK Chapter held its annual summer gala on the evening of 29th June, 2011 at the stunning Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London. The Saatchi Gallery has been at its new location since 2008 - inside the Duke of York’s Headquarters off the King’s Road, where the former Drill Hall has been stripped back to its shell to provide fifteen interconnected galleries on three levels. Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, the renovation architects, created minimal spaces where the art can be viewed with the architecture, both old and new, receding into the background. The setting provided the perfect backdrop for our annual summer event!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Saatchi Gallery, it was founded in 1985 by Charles Saatchi, the founder of advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi. He is also a sponsor for the Young British Architects, which includes artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin. His support for modern art which pushes boundaries and challenges artistic standards is manifested in his gallery as the exhibitions are always quite unique and in some cases, controversial as well. Saatchi bought and displayed one of Tracy Emin’s most famous pieces, ‘My Bed’, which was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1999 and is currently on display in his own home.

The evening began with a brief talk from Lutron, the headline Summer Gala sponsors. They gave a lively presentation of their lighting systems and also handed out a hardback book to all attendees. Armstrong was also a sponsor of the event and had several representatives in attendance. We thank both of our sponsors for their generous support!

Attendees also attended a private guided tour of the exhibition “Shape of Things to Come: New Sculpture” with head curator, Patricia Ellis, as their guide. The pieces on display were composed, assembled, sewn, nailed, glued, stacked or layered from materials as different as clay, polished metal, fabric, plywood, dirt, horse hide, Styrofoam and found objects. The exhibition pushed the notions of the already expanded field of sculpture. The tour received rave reviews from all the attendees - Patricia was very knowledgeable and enlightened the guests on the meaning of the pieces as well as the inspiration of the artists. The exhibition will be on display until October 16, 2011, so I would highly recommend a visit to the gallery as it has received rave reviews from many art critics - it is definitely a must-see!

As the prosecco and canapes flowed throughout the evening, guests enjoyed live jazz music and interesting conversation amongst their colleagues, friends and partners. The AIA UK attracts not only American architects, but many British and international guests as well, creating a very diverse and culturally rich atmosphere for our events.

The AIA UK holds its annual summer gala each year in a unique and architecturally interesting venue, which can inspire intellectual conversation in and of itself. I think most people will agree that the Saatchi Gallery was a fantastic and inspiring venue for this year’s gala, both for its art and architecture. We look forward to hosting our next gala in the summer of 2012 - watch this space!

Please click here to view the 2011 Summer Gala photos, courtesy of Agnese Sanvito.