Years later the handsome structures became abandoned and, in the late
1980s, UK rave culture began. Sound systems moved in, rattling the
rusting ironwork and waking the crumbling warehouses. Three floors
shook every Saturday night under the feet of 2,500 clubbers at
legendary venue, Bagley’s.
Today we see the building’s
latest reinvention. Heatherwick Studio’s new architectural design
links two brick and cast-iron constructions with rising gabled roofs,
reaching to meet each other seamlessly in the middle. The restoration
was sensitive to the listed Victorian structures and cobbled
courtyard. At COS, we took the same approach in-store, balancing a
calm, modern aesthetic with surviving industrial details.
Conifera: the centrepiece of the
space
London-based French architect Arthur
Mamou-Mani and his studio created a new site-specific iteration of
Conifera for COS Coal Drops Yard – a 3D-printed installation
made from renewable resources first introduced at Milan Design Week
2019. The piece explores the future of design, tech and material
innovation.
Each 3D-printed brick in the installation is
made from PLA – a bioplastic that is fully compostable, created using
renewable resources. Two colours are seen in the structure: the
translucent sections are PLA in its purest form, whereas the brown hue
comes from adding wood pulp.
Fir trees were the source of
this wood pulp. The way cones grow naturally on these evergreen trees
is reminiscent of how the bio bricks were designed, giving the
installation its name: Conifera. The bricks were created through an
open-source software, using parametric design to maintain structural
stability while optimising the use of materials – essentially using
less to achieve more.
A platform for artists
Alongside the installation by Arthur Mamou-Mani, Coal Drops
Yard also features a platform for emerging artists. We want to support
creativity around the world, which is a source of constant
inspiration. The ongoing exhibition will showcase all kinds of work,
from large-scale installations to sculpture, paintings, ceramics and
digital art.
Artists currently on display at Coal Drops
Yard:
• Charlotte Taylor
• Chris Wood
• Cody
Cobb
• Dermot Russel
• Gareth Hayward
• Xochi
Solis
• Haar East
• Jahic & Roethlisberger
• Studio Mieke Meijer
• Wang & Soderstrom
Visit the store at:
COS Coal Drops Yard,
Unit 3 Stable Street,
London
N1C
4AB
Find your nearest store using our online store locator
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