Angel Song in Conversation with Artist and Architect Harrison Marshall
Harrison Marshall is a British architect and artist based in London. Co-founder of CAUKIN Studio, a design architectural construction organisation, focusing on international Development, Education, Collaboration, Women in Construction and much more. Harrison is currently working on the one-year project of the Skip House, which is a part art installation, part social commentary project aiming to start a conversation and highlight the issues regarding UK’s housing crisis.
In this interview with MADE IN BED, Harrison talks about his career as an architect, the project of The Skip House, and the relationship between the arts and architecture within the context of the public.
The Skip House (2023) with Harrison Marshall. Photo Courtesy: Katie Edwards.
Angel Song: What caught your interest in functional architectural projects that engage with the public on social levels in the first place?
Harrison Marshall: I’ve always had an interest in people and the human experience and how the environment that surrounds people can affect their lives in so many ways. Everyone inherently understands that the way a space is designed can change their mood, their concentration levels, and even their health. For me, my architectural education enabled me to gain a skill set for approaching problem-solving through methodical and creative thinking. It helped me understand that good design places an emphasis on both function and beauty and that they need not be exclusive. As a student, I could see that there was a very typical route for architects after they graduate, which often involved designing luxury buildings or homes for the wealthy 1% of the population. And this system feeds the idea that good design must always be expensive rather than something which is a necessity. By the time we finished our second year of university, me and a few friends decided that there must be a new way to bring positive impact through architecture, and since then we’ve completed over 60 community projects around the world with our company CAUKIN Studio.
AS: Can you explain the details of the Skip House project? Specifically, what inspired its creation, and what goals or message you are trying to establish?
HM: It probably won’t come as much of a surprise, but working on community projects has never earned us the big bucks, which means living in London can be a struggle. Whilst looking for a room to rent in the city last year, it was clear how much the average rent had risen year on year. Even when I found somewhere suitable, it would be snapped up immediately by one of the other 100 people queuing up for a viewing. And so, like any artist or designer, I felt compelled to respond to the current state of the housing crisis with a project. Combining my background in architecture with my interest in performance art, I decided that living in a skip (dumpster) for the next year would be an interesting challenge in turning something that should never be lived in into a home that is arguably better than many options on the market. The project was never intended to be a viable solution for the housing crisis. Rather it was a way to communicate the absurdity of the situation and spark a different kind of conversation. When I launched the artwork in the media it immediately struck a chord with people, with some claiming it to be their ‘dream home’ and others claiming it to be ‘worse than prison’.
AS: What interesting or unexpected elements have emerged during the creation or duration that significantly impacted the direction or perception of the project?
HM: I think what became interesting for me, was how my own perception of the project and the reasons behind it developed and refined throughout the idea and design stage and continued to evolve whilst living in it. It made me realise that even the artist doesn’t always know the true meaning of a performance piece or visual work until after it’s complete. The process and execution itself is important to understanding the way you think and what’s really going on in your own head.
AS: Do you view the Skip House project primarily as a public art installation, or would you categorise it more as a form of performance artwork? How do these definitions align or diverge in the context of this project?
HM: For me, it definitely sits in both categories. The Skip House itself could act as a sculptural symbol of the housing crisis, even without me living in it, but there would be far less of a public response and intrigue. The act of living in the space makes people question the reality of what makes a home comfortable or not, and immediately becomes a point of reference that the public can relate to or imagine themselves in. This project has definitely made me consider what captures human attention, and the crossover of performance art with installation art seems to be an interesting recipe for creating something new.
AS: In your opinion as an architect and artist, how do you perceive the relationship between art and architecture? How does Skip House embody or challenge these intersections?
HM: Architecture inherently has a functional requirement and often a clear client or end-user that guides the design process. Whereas art can be a lot freer flowing, and often embodies or expresses the artist's own thoughts and experiences. The Skip House bleeds between the two, acting as an expression of my own intangible thought process as well as satisfying the very functional requirements. However, it simultaneously challenges more typical art forms as well as the symbols of ‘good architecture’. I think the benefit of crossing different disciplines is that everybody can view the project through their own perspective without a preconceived idea of what it is. It’s not set in a white box-style gallery, nor is it a glossy piece of glass and concrete.
AS: Do you think public interaction is integral to Skip House's concept? How does the performance aspect within the installation contribute to the overall experience for the public?
HM: For me, the really interesting part of the artwork is the public response. No other project I’ve worked on has ever garnered this amount of attention. I think it’s great that the reaction is so varied, and although it’s mostly positive, some of the criticism or negative comments add to the narrative of the project. It made it clear that the perception of a performance piece would change depending on who is performing it. And although this is obvious in hindsight, it wasn’t something I’d fully appreciated before I started the project.
AS: How do you believe art installations like Skip House contribute to the dialogue within public spaces, particularly in urban environments? What role does Skip House play in altering or enhancing the surrounding space?
HM: I believe that there needs to be more scope for people to create and express themselves in the cities or towns that they inhabit. Public art installations are rarely created by those that live in the area, and subsequently, there can be a disconnect between the artist and the audience. Urban environments are controlled and built by massive organisations with financial motives. It can make it hard to build a sense of community - with neighbours that have never spoken and kids that have never played together. I believe that community art projects can be an amazing vehicle for bridging that gap and creating a sense of belonging. And although the Skip House doesn’t tick this box in the same way as other projects I’ve done, it’s still been a really strong basis for building a relationship with my neighbours which I’ve never previously experienced living in London.
AS: Do you see Skip House as a standalone project or as part of a larger ongoing initiative? Are there plans for similar endeavours in the future?
HM: For me, the Skip House is the first project in a series of large-scale artworks that bridge performance art and installation art. The aim of this series will be to create an almost dystopian reflection of the society that we live in. They’ll appear as a ‘near future’ that is an exaggerated version of the current reality. I’m currently working on a project that’s even more ambitious and will act as a commentary on the career of influencers and the act of selling one’s personal images for commercial gain.
AS: How has working on the Skip House project influenced or changed your perspective as a creator?
HM: The project has confirmed to me that this new direction of creative expression is what makes me excited. There are several ideas I’ve had playing in my head for years, but never had the courage to take on. After nearly a year living in the Skip House, suddenly some of these ideas seem a little more achievable!
Harrison Marshall inside The Skip House Photo Courtesy: Katie Edwards.
Many thanks to Harrison Marshall on behalf of MADE IN BED.
To learn more about Harrison and his work, follow him on Instagram. To learn more about The Skip House Project and others, Click on the CAUKIN STUDIO website here.
Angel Song
Interviews Co-Editor, MADE IN BED