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Architect Sir Peter Cook On A Lifetime Of Drawing
In this HENI Talks film, we dive into the imaginative world of Sir Peter Cook's drawings, a pioneering British architect and co-founder of the avant-garde group, Archigram in conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist. Renowned for his radical re-imaginings of urban landscapes, Cook’s vibrant artworks offer a window into cities of the future, blending architectural precision with artistic flair. With a career spanning over six decades, Sir Peter Cook (b. 1936) has been instrumental in challenging conventional architectural norms. His work, characterised by bold colours and dynamic forms, envisions cities that are both functional and fantastical. Beyond his architectural achievements, Cook’s paintings stand as independent artworks, which are celebrated worldwide.
Time Period:
21st century
Professor Sir Peter Cook RA (born 22 October 1936) is an English architect, lecturer and writer on architectural subjects. He was a founder of Archigram, and was knighted in 2007 for his services to architecture and teaching. He is also a Royal Academician and a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic. His achievements with Archigram were recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2004, when the group was awarded the Royal Gold Medal.
Cook was a director of London's Institute of Contemporary Arts (1970-1972) and chair of architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London (1990–2006), and has been director of Art Net in London and curator of the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. He continues to curate, organise and exhibit around the world: in Seoul, LA, Cyprus, the Centre Georges Pompidou, Design Museum, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art,as well as in castles, sheds and garages.
He is a Senior Fellow of the Royal College of Art, London. Cook's professorships include those of the Royal Academy, University College, London and the Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste (Städelschule) in Frankfurt-Main, Germany.
Cook has built in Osaka, Nagoya, Berlin and Madrid. However it was construction of his arts building in 2003, the Kunsthaus Graz (aka 'The Friendly Alien') in Graz, Austria (with Colin Fournier), that brought his work to a wider public. His first building in the UK, a new drawing studio at the Arts University Bournemouth was opened in March 2016.He also built the innovation studio at the Arts University Bournemouth, which was opened by Odile Decq in 2021.
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