Assemble, a collective of artists, designers and architects based in London, have been shortlisted for the Turner Prize - the UK's foremost annual award for British visual artists. Much to the delight and surprise of members of the profession, this young collaborative team are the first spatial designers to be recognised by this prize in its three decade history, leading Sam Jacob to assert that they "represent something different: a validation of the belief that there are other ways of doing things." The four nominees for the award also include London artist Bonnie Camplin and German-born Nicole Wermers.
Comprised of eighteen members and established in 2010, their working practice "seeks to address the typical disconnection between the public and the process by which places are made." They have championed a working practice which is both independent and collaborative, developing projects which engage the public as both a participant and collaboration in the on-going realisation of the work. Although the majority of the collective studied architecture at Cambridge University, others are from backgrounds rooted in the study of English, History, Philosophy, or construction.
The project which clinched their inclusion on the shortlist is Granby Four Streets, a cluster of terraced houses in Toxteth, Liverpool. Their approach to this project has centred on "a sustainable and incremental vision for the area that builds on the hard work already done by local residents and translates it to the refurbishment of housing, public space and the provision of new work and enterprise opportunities."
See more of Assemble's work on ArchDaily:
