One of a=r’s favourite design movements is Metabolism, and as “Japan” and “concrete” were at the heart of the brief, we were delighted to be able to employ its aesthetics and methods for this store redesign.

Metabolist structures were devised to offer adaptability to the occupants, relying on then modern technology/materials, specifically concrete. Their buildings often resembled skeletal shelving systems where floors and rooms could be hung. The framework was always larger than required in the event that the building needed to house more rooms for additional dwellers and equipment.

An ‘add on’ timber cladding mirroring the store’s ‘concrete’ walls allows for instant shop change, with a firm wall upon which to securely mount a temporary store appearance. These ‘skins’ are stored in the basement room lining the walls, where they are used with their inside facing out so they may house shoes and apparel in the same way as their ‘concrete’ cousins do above.

Unable to employ heavy concrete in the store, we used recycled newsprint which looks like concrete but is more adaptable, more environmentally friendly, and could be cut and spliced in a way that metabolism could not achieve with its materials.

Adidas were pleased with the design and wanted to highlight the craftsmanship involved, which resonated well with their year of promoting craftsmanship in their design. Accordingly, we produced a book showing the design process and manufacture, in PDF form here.

The exhibition/store was intended to have the appearance of a pop-up shop, so all the evidence of it having been there was immediately removed after its two week lifespan, preserving (untarnished) memories that people held about it.

Year One: Castaways. We noticed that no one had devised a principle where fête-goers could make a bespoke object quickly and walk away with it. To remedy to this, we devised wax sandcasting. The punter could chose their own composition using a random selection of everyday objects, which were pushed into wet sand to produce moulds. To play the part we dressed like famous castaways Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn and had our own beach shack.

Year Two: Flyaways. Punters were issued a piece of A4 paper for 50p by a ticket officer, from which they could make as many paper planes as they liked. The aeroplanes were launched by a 3M-high catapult into the air, to surpass different heights denoted by silver balloons and a runway strip light running up the side of the museum.

Year Three: Balloon popping race – as if back in school, punters raced to sharpen their pencil and pop their balloon faster than anyone else. High achievers and blunt ends alike were awarded report cards before bunking off for the rest of the day.

Year Four: Beer(d) Tent. The challenge was to make a beard from thick wadding, secure and stuff it with as many things as possible, drink beer, and stick it on your face all by the time the bluegrass tune ended.

The zoetrope lightshade is a beguiling development on previous incarnations of the zoetrope, being an almost animal-like object that feeds only on light. The lightshade has a personality beyond its expected use, not just working when a lightbulb is on, but also when the sun shines.

The design mirrored this situationist approach by a specially devised rope system. By day the jacket collection was strung up at eye level for close inspection by the press.

By night the jackets were strung up high above heads to emulate a gallery atmosphere; as the party progressed the ropes were released, creating a dramatic effect as all the jackets suddenly fell to just above head height and continued bobbing up and down through the night. This connected the jackets with the occasion of a party in a non-static way.

We changed the space by cutting up and creating liminal areas by the simple use of rope – transforming the high-ceilinged Hoxton school building into an interactive party and multi-roomed gallery space.