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Centre for Visual Arts
Station Road, Sway, Hampshire
Sway
is a village near Southampton, 7km from the South coast of England. ArtSway
was the initiative of a group of local people, who wanted to convert an
existing building in Sway into a local arts centre, under the direction
of Linda Fredericks and Mark Segal. It has become part of a wider network
of regional galleries, attracting exhibitions by national and international
artists. The project was among the first to receive Lottery funding and
is used as a model of good practice by the Arts Council. The building is in timber and attached to an existing 19th century stable, which was brought into play as studios. The new building was excavated into the rising ground to continue the scale of existing building and mask the greater height required by its exhibition spaces.
Two galleries were formed in the new building and a third in the coach room of the original building. Each benefits from daylight of a different quality and the light in each space can be progressively adjusted down from daylight to darkness to accommodate video and film. The wall in the third gallery opens to allow large work to be installed, and could function as an informal entrance from the car park.
From the galleries there are glimpses into the studios where local people, especially children, can experiment with established art media and computer and video art. Beyond these activities the main street of Sway and the grass and trees behind the buildings are visible, as well as another building that we converted as studios for ArtSway to rent to local artists.
The building is designed with a well-insulated timber frame and external finishes that require minimal maintenance. These are sustainable measures which are also significant in financial terms for a small arts centre. Leaving the red cedar on the exterior unpainted so that it will weather to grey is part of this, but it is also, like other aspects of the detailing, a poetic statement.
Status: Completed 1996
Client: ArtSway
Structural Engineer: Price & Myers
Photographs: Lorenzo Elbaz
www.artsway.org.uk
