Apollo Pavilion by Victor Pasmore, Peterlee
Artist; Victor Pasmore 1969-70.
This little structure (1963-1970), synthesis of architecture, painting and sculpture, has a fascinating history which touches socialist idealism in County Durham’s mining community. It involved people like T. Dan Smith, Berthold Lubetkin (1948-1950), and Victor Pasmore (1954 onwards) working on planning, architecture and landscaping.
At every stage of the development difficulties were encountered and this building received more than its fair share of difficulties which hopefully can bring some lessons to this and future generations.
When you confront this structure for the first time your senses get a real jolt. Surrounded by soul-less mediocre housing, this monumental, Brutalist concrete structure/sculpture looks like an alien object anchored near a pool of water and trees.
Pasmore describes the Pavilion as “an architecture and sculpture of purely abstract form through which to walk, in which to linger and on which to play, a free and anonymous monument which, because of it's independence, can lift the activity and psychology of an urban housing community on to a universal plane”
It is worth remembering that housing surrounding the Pavilion was originally designed by pooling of ideas between architects and Pasmore, very much following De Stijl movement. The flat roof housing forms and Pasmore’s geometrical patterned windows were seen through the gaps in structure Pavilion and around it.
Pasmore also explored the ‘kinetic’ aspects by including the movement of people through the space as another of their own spatial re-ordering and composition.
However, the constructive optimism soon turned to destructive pessimism.
I am certain Pasmore never anticipated the ‘brutal’ treatment and humiliation this structure received in the way of graffiti and every possible miss-use, resulting in demands for its demolition and removal of stairs and planting on the roof.
Pasmore visited the structure in 1982 and praised the quality of graffiti as an addition he was unable to improve upon. However, he suggested that surrounding housing should be pulled down. The opinions started to change and eventually a Lottery Grant transformed the structure to its original intentions.
locus_imagination has collected lots of most interesting information on this project and Peterlee
here.
Apollo Pavilion by Victor Pasmore, Peterlee
Artist; Victor Pasmore 1969-70.
This little structure (1963-1970), synthesis of architecture, painting and sculpture, has a fascinating history which touches socialist idealism in County Durham’s mining community. It involved people like T. Dan Smith, Berthold Lubetkin (1948-1950), and Victor Pasmore (1954 onwards) working on planning, architecture and landscaping.
At every stage of the development difficulties were encountered and this building received more than its fair share of difficulties which hopefully can bring some lessons to this and future generations.
When you confront this structure for the first time your senses get a real jolt. Surrounded by soul-less mediocre housing, this monumental, Brutalist concrete structure/sculpture looks like an alien object anchored near a pool of water and trees.
Pasmore describes the Pavilion as “an architecture and sculpture of purely abstract form through which to walk, in which to linger and on which to play, a free and anonymous monument which, because of it's independence, can lift the activity and psychology of an urban housing community on to a universal plane”
It is worth remembering that housing surrounding the Pavilion was originally designed by pooling of ideas between architects and Pasmore, very much following De Stijl movement. The flat roof housing forms and Pasmore’s geometrical patterned windows were seen through the gaps in structure Pavilion and around it.
Pasmore also explored the ‘kinetic’ aspects by including the movement of people through the space as another of their own spatial re-ordering and composition.
However, the constructive optimism soon turned to destructive pessimism.
I am certain Pasmore never anticipated the ‘brutal’ treatment and humiliation this structure received in the way of graffiti and every possible miss-use, resulting in demands for its demolition and removal of stairs and planting on the roof.
Pasmore visited the structure in 1982 and praised the quality of graffiti as an addition he was unable to improve upon. However, he suggested that surrounding housing should be pulled down. The opinions started to change and eventually a Lottery Grant transformed the structure to its original intentions.
locus_imagination has collected lots of most interesting information on this project and Peterlee
here.