Reminiscence

This project was planned to coincide with Southampton’s bid for Cultural City 2025, which aims to merge art practices with everyday entertainment. The design project is for a listed building situated in the Westgate Tower of Southampton. It was a competition-themed design project, and the dining area should be inspired by one of the proposed artists.

For this specific project, I have chosen Chiharu Shiota as my source of inspiration. The cuisine theme for the dining space is Japanese, with a focus on sushi.This project has been designed to complement Southampton’s bid for Cultural City 2025, which aims to merge art practices with everyday entertainment. The listed building situated in the Westgate Tower of Southampton has been the prime focus of this competition-themed design project. The dining area has been inspired by one of the proposed artists, and for this project, I have confidently selected Chiharu Shiota as my source of inspiration. The cuisine theme for the dining space is Japanese, with a strong emphasis on sushi.

Site visit

As an interior architecture designer, visiting the site is crucial for me. Being able to experience the actual space and texture helps me determine how to use it effectively.

During my visit to the Westgate Tower, I realized that the space was smaller than what I had expected. This was because the building has a Graded listed status, and it is essential not to damage its original architecture. Furthermore, the interior design concept must be connected to our chosen inspired artist. Therefore, visiting the site was crucial during the design phase of the project as it helped us to understand the local culture and atmosphere of the place.

The construction part of the project required a lot of thought, along with the design concept thinking, for the installations in this project.

Design outcome

The lines that connect the tower and technology in the dining space create an evocative and compelling representation of the relationship between the past and present.

The tower, standing as a symbol of the past, is now linked to the present through the use of technology in the dining space.

The lines themselves serve as a poignant reminder of the connection between object and memory, and the overall effect is one of deep resonance and meaning.