The geographical boundaries in cities between different communities are collapsing, turning the urban fabric into a multi-layered framework of social complexity. Cultural formations no longer simply represent the neighbourhood at large but are deconstructed into micro- territories, which populate smaller scales of the built environment. Boundaries begin to shift from the public to the private, from the neighbourhood to the building, from the collective to the individual – in short, they shift from outside inwards. Whether physical or symbolic, they manifest in walls; they are interrupted by entries and exits while being connected through corridors and thresholds. What unifies them all are the architectural formations of transitional zones - between us and ‘the other’.

Peckham …is that you? This year’s ground of explorations for INTER 14 will focus on analysing environments amid comfort and despair – deconstructing transitions from the familiar to the uncanny. Using this vibrant and diverse South London setting as our stage set, we will examine territories of cultural, social and environmental friction, starting at the scale of the individual actors, their relation to the Umwelt and vice versa.

Given Peckham’s location within the London flood risk zone, we will experiment with speculative methods to not only mitigate issues of flooding but propose new architectural typologies for an unpredictable changing urban canvas. Remapping the internal from the smallest detail to its surrounding framework, a continuous sequence of spatial configurations will be generated, which is informed by inhabitation, perception, and encounter. Threading together themes, programs and actions, the project will start to tell the story. A story that has no end nor beginning. One, where everything is relevant and by everything we mean – everything.

Working from the inside out we create a world that draws you in. We welcome you to the peepshow journey!