Royal Institute of British Architects

Pezo von Ellrichshausen & Felice Varini
A Hall for Hull
October 2–November 11, 2017

Trinity Square
Hull HU1 1RR
United Kingdom

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A Hall for Hull with "Trois Points de Vue"—a joint commission from The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Hull UK City of Culture 2017—has been unveiled to the public. The monumental temporary installation has transformed Trinity Square with 16 galvanized steel columns arranged in a grid formation in front of Hull Minster to form a new "outdoor room" for the city.

Chile-based architects Pezo von Ellrichshausen have collaborated with Swiss artist Felice Varini to create the ambitious structure, which responds to the historic heart of Hull and will remain in place until November 11, 2017. The installation will provide visitors with a range of different vistas of the square and experiences as they enter each of the six-metre-high columns, open to the sky. Perforations across the columns' frosted-like steel skin creates a delicate interplay of light and shadow across the interiors of each inhabited space. Visual and physical contradictions merge as visitors first encounter a series of imposing, static steel columns from a distance, but as they move closer, the perforations create as feeling of lightness.    

The playful optical illusions continue with the artwork applied by international acclaimed artist Felice Varini. Through his practice of op-art, Varini has created three hand-drawn, delicate artworks across the columns that distort and redefine the otherwise rigid geometry of their solid arrangement, challenging perceptions of perspective and scale in this particular public setting. Each artwork aligns from a different viewpoint across Trinity Square, encouraging visitors to meander through the set of columns, leaving the view of the central axis of the church's nave untouched. 

Although both Pezo von Ellrichshausen and Felice Varini have previously exhibited in London, this is the first time they have developed an artwork jointly. The practice of Pezo von Ellrichshausen that oscillates between art and architecture, embedded in land art and often located in rural conditions, forms a complementary relationship with Varini's op-art practice with the majority of his artworks situated within and upon the urban fabric. This combination here serves to redefine and activate multiple perspectives of a historically-charged public square through a series of experiences as visitors walk around the installation. 

A Hall for Hull is jointly commissioned by The Royal Institute of British Architects and Hull2017, supported by British Council and Wedge Galvanizsing Group. It is part of Look Up, a Hull 2017 curated programme of temporary installations in public places and spaces around the city.