The Architecture Club Photographic Competition 2020

2020 began like any other year with The Architecture Club celebrating in early February with our annual Winter Party. There were rumblings of a virus spreading in Wuhan, China.

Six weeks later the UK was in lockdown and for the next six weeks 'unprecedented' became the adjective of choice for every politician and newscaster.

Technology allowed members who were not furloughed to work from home and technology gave us the tools to continue to build The Architecture Club community.

Working, furloughed or retired, alone or with family we all had to live by the same diktat : Stay at Home.

Our worlds shrank to within the walls of our homes, and if lucky, to the boundaries of our gardens.

Our windows became more than an object for the transmission of air and light, they were the portal for our relationship with the outside world.

My World through a Window : Light and Life was the theme for our lockdown photographic competition.

The prize for each of the categories, a ticket to the first Supper Debate to be held by the Club when we are allowed to mingle, and when maintaining the regulated two metre distance from all (except those who live together) is no longer essential.

Each opportunity came with a category theme;

Looking Out : the world outside
Let the Outside In : light and shadow, the effect upon our rooms and contents.

To level the playing field, the membership which it turns out has some very keen photographers, were asked to submit entries they had taken on their mobile device.

The judges :
Richard Bryant – Photographer with a love of places and spaces
Hugo Dalton – Artist with a love of his surroundings
Grant Smith – Photographer with a love of places and faces
Anna Skurczynska – IP lawyer with a love of drawing
All the images were judged anonymously.

Looking Out - Chris Dyson
Chris' image illustrates the challenges of communicating 3 dimensional space on a 2 dimensional plane. The composition is well framed with the additional intriguing architectural qualities of the layering of spaces.

Let the Outside In - Charles Saumarez-Smith
Charles' image demonstrates a balanced composition together with the layering of space combined with superb photographic qualities of tone and texture.

Here is the shortlist and some of the judges responses

Thank you to our judges and all who entered.

Lynne Bryant
Hon. Secretary