Smout Allen land archive project on show at the AA

Bartlett Lecturers Mark Smout and Laura Allen of Smout Allen, in collaboration with Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG, are exhibiting the British Exploratory Land Archive (BELA) at the AA Gallery from 16th November - 14th December.

BELA is an ongoing research project aiming to document unusual and familiar, but overlooked, UK landscapes. Inspired by the Centre for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI) in LA, it focuses on architectural field study and instrument design as an expeditionary archival process.

The exhibition will present a series of semi-scientific instruments and survey tools designed to draw meaning from and interpret landscape use, as well as architectural proposals for sites of anthropogenic change, and documentary photography of exploratory trips inspired by local hobby groups and their activities.

The project was conceived as part of Venice Takeaway at the 13th International Venice Architecture Biennale and has since exhibited at the RIBA.

• See a video of BELA by Smout Allen

• The exhibition is supported by the British Council, Nottingham Cave Survey, Williams F1 Energy Systems and the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL.

Image: Capture Blanket, Payrs Mountain, Wales