Bang Billboard 2 ©The Klassnik Corporation
Commissioned by Sto Werkstatt and designed by The Klassnik Corporation, Look & Listen offers a variety of sonic experiences which encourage the visitor to focus on the audible aspects of architecture. This exhibition creates a unique set of environments formed using Sto’s range of acoustic systems and utilises the perfect balance of design flexibility and technical leadership the acoustic materials offer. The installation also demonstrates the materials‘ capabilities in reducing reverberation and promoting clearer sound.
Amy Croft, curator at Sto Werkstatt, and Doug Haywood, artist and curator of Look & Listen, said
‘London is awash with terribly noisy interior spaces where we are expected to socialise, work, learn or create. Working with Tomas Klassnik of The Klassnik Corporation, we aimed to facilitate and trigger experiences that reflect on how we feel and understand sound; how it reverberates off certain materials, causing that terrible cacophony of shrieks in busy bars, and where it is absorbed, offering the potential for a blissful learning environment in schools.‘
A cartoonish juxtaposition of the onomatopoeic words Bang and Shhhh! resonates in the ground floor gallery space. Bang Billboard is a bold CNC-cut super graphic created using StoSilent Distance, spray finished in StoSilent Decor M. Beyond this skeletal wall is Wonderwall Shhhh!, a series of rotating panels, subtly engraved with the sonic directive ‘Shhhh!‘. These pieces demonstrate the fine CNC engraving possible in Sto’s smoothest acoustic finish, StoSilent Top.
In contrast to the sober monotone exteriors, two passageways clad in StoSilent Direct bring a saturation
of bold colour and texture to this installation. Sonic Corridor is finished like a sparkling grotto with a Sto Siliconcarbide ‘glitter‘ sprayed as a finishing touch into the slate grey StoSilent Decor M. The tunnels draw one‘s attention to the clarity of the incidental sounds created as visitors inadvertently activate a host of classic desktop science toys positioned inside them, from tweeting birds and clinking chains to rhythmically tapping Newton’s Cradles.
Acoustic Dining Table ©The Klassnik Corporation
Satirically titled ‘Board Room’, the Sto Haus has become a shrine to acoustics, with a panel of StoSilent Board 300 seemingly hovering within the space. A cinematic soundscape, created by sound designer Doug Haywood, brings to mind interior spaces desperately in need of acoustic treatments including swimming pools, train stations and lecture theatres. These are interspersed with recorded snippets of conversations about the Sto systems and their practical applications made during Tomas Klassnik’s research trip to the Sto headquarters in Weizen, Germany in February 2015.
Look & Listen is free and open to the public from 27th March until 1st May 2015 at Sto Werkstatt in Woodbridge Street, Clerkenwell, London. The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of talks and events, with leading experts in the field of architecture, sound and engineering.
Sto Werkstatt
Werkstatt – meaning workshop in German– is a showcase for the Sto Group and a new east London cultural establishment with a lively program of exhibitions, talks, CPD’s, workshops and consultations. A full range of Sto Group’s products are at the Werkstatt for architects to play and create with, including glass and rendered rainscreen cladding, seamless acoustics, facade elements and photo catalytic interior paint coating. The Werkstatt also extends out from its hub in Clerkenwell to offer connections to Sto’s international network of technical experts with local and global knowledge.
Look & Listen demonstrates Sto Group’s continual investment and innovation in design of living spaces tailored to the requirements of people the world over. During the exhibition samples of the full StoSilent product range of acoustic materials are on display in the materials library of Sto Werkstatt. These include the StoSilent Distance panel system which enables acoustically effective building elements to be combined with a flat, seamless surface; the newly developed, seamless StoSilent Direct system which is suitable for a simple, direct and space-saving installation on walls and ceilings, and StoSilent Modular ceiling element range. Sto also provides a range of flexible plaster systems that include the StoSilent Compact Sil, suitable for flat surfaces and the StoSilent Compact Miral spray plaster, ideal for dampening noise and reducing reverberation on curved surfaces.
Doug Haywood
London-based sound artist, Doug Haywood has been creating bespoke soundtracks for nearly two decades with an extensivefolio of award winning films, promos, theatre, installations, fashion shows and high profile special events. Doug’s work, through sound, often explores the experiential conditions and cues by which we perceive the world around us.
His film projects include sound design for Gaëlle Denis’ multi award winning ‘Crocodile’, Piers Thompson’s BAFTA nominated short, ‘LIN’ and Steven Eastwood’s feature, ‘Buried Land’, plus several music promos, campaigns and interactive media. Doug has produced audio installations for clients including Panasonic, Range Rover and Absolut. Aside from film oriented work, Doug also consults and mixes scores for countless international fashion shows including Hugo Boss, Nicholas Oakwell Couture and Swarovski. www.doughaywood.co.uk
The Klassnik Corporation
The Klassnik Corporation is a London based architecture practice, creating engaging experiences through architecture, art and events. Projects include private homes, a ping pong parlour, a scout hall, public art for the London Olympics, studio and gallery spaces and a séance to contact the spirit of Le Corbusier. The practice also provides critical consultancy services which have addressed a range of issues affecting higher education, climate change and London‘s skyline. A member of the GLA/ TFL framework for arts consultancy they are currently working on public realm projects for Islington, Barking, Lewisham and Cambridge. www.klassnik.com
