Radical Rooms: Power of the Plan is the latest exhibition by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), created through a special partnership between architect Charles Holland and visual artist Di Mainstone.
Spanning nearly 500 years, the exhibition is anchored in three domestic buildings from the 16th, 18th, and 20th centuries: Hardwick Hall, A la Ronde and the Hopkins House. Each exemplifies the way that power structures are embedded in the domestic plan, revealing the social relationships of their time. Radical Rooms also exhibits the profound role of women in their development and design, an influence that has persistently been left out of the history of architecture.
Drawing on an alternative history of female protagonists Bess of Hardwick, Jane and Mary Parminter and Patty Hopkins, Radical Rooms uses stories from architectural history and highlights moments when the plan has challenged the conventions of domestic life.
With a layout inspired by the Palladian house plan, the exhibition forms an abstract grid of connected rooms defined by curtains and floor patterns. Animated and occupied by the four women, these spaces share their stories through elaborate costume design and a music score that makes up an immersive audio-visual performance.
Where Charles Holland draws attention to the power in the plan through the organisation of space, Di Mainstone focuses on the people, bringing to life four key characters and revealing their history and influence on the construction of the three domestic properties. A shared language of pattern, decoration and colour link the two together.
The gallery is divided into three sections, separated by fabric and carpet, which make reference to specific details within each house. For example, curtains in the space mimic the tapestries which hang in Hardwick Hall, providing a function beyond decoration and concealing architectural projects from the RIBA Collections. These artefacts reveal stories that have been largely overlooked, whether it’s the documentation of women’s role within architectural history or the representation of buildings created by or for intergender relationships.
The exhibition also showcases several other non-conventional domestic spaces from the RIBA Collections.
RIBA Curator of Exhibitions, Margaret Cubbage, said: “We’re delighted to reveal Radical Rooms - a unique commission and collaboration with Charles Holland and Di Mainstone, each bringing their own perspective to the concept of power within the domestic plan. This immersive exhibition provides a space to engage and interpret architecture in an unconventional way, while presenting more accurate representations of architectural history through the RIBA Collections.”
