Evo Walk

In April 2009, I was a tutor for a student workshop in the Small European Students of Architecture Meeting (SESAM) in Rome, the theme of which was Celebrating Charles Darwin. My team consisted of 7 students.

Each workshop team was given an existing metal U-shaped structure in which to build. My team and I responded by creating a pavilion in which visitors are led on a journey through the senses evoking connections with Darwinian evolution and with the development of a human being from childhood to adulthood.

The journey was divided into four parts: visitors crawl through a dimly lit passage raising awareness of textures of surfaces touched; as head-room and daylight become more generous visitors stand and are offered a view to the park, extending their experiential realm and reducing dependance on touch; visitors enter a room lit only from above where they find a mirror, wherein seeing their reflection increases self-awareness; a snug beyond this space offers a place to sit and think about their experience.