Scents of Shad Thames : London Festival of Architecture 2018

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Scents of Shad Thames: Experience History Through the Sense

AAA Projects – the combined forces of AVR London, A-VR and Anise Gallery – present a multi-sensory exhibition for The London Festival of Architecture. The 2018 edition of the festival bears the theme of ‘Identity’ and as such we will be celebrating the history of Shad Thames and its importance to past and present members of the community.

With London in the midst of intense regeneration, ‘Scents of Shad Thames’ looks to the immediate neighbourhood and responds creatively through the media of virtual reality, photography and drawing, exploring how the identity of the architecture is shaped by its inhabitants and vice versa.

The centre of the gallery will be assigned to virtual reality designed by A-VR. A timed curated VR experience will allow visitors to access an historic Shad Thames, where architecture, landmarks and the river highlighted through STAMP’s (Shad Thames Area Management Partnership) ‘Shad Thames Trail’ and their tour designed for LFA 2018 will be explored through the headset. In another area visitors will be invited, via Google tiltbrush, to share their own memories of and ideas about the landscape, imprinting their own identity to that which already exists.

The walls of the gallery will be dedicated to photographic and hand drawn interpretations of the area by AVR London. As visitors progress through the gallery, corresponding spices will accompany their journey referencing the area’s former identity as spice warehouses and stimulating the sense of smell. It is well recognised that scents trigger memories more than any of the other four senses; therefore, by smelling spices including coriander and star anise, visitors will attach their own ideas to something integral to the identity of the gallery.