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CJ Lim wins RA summer prize

13 June 2007

The judges of this year's Royal Academy Summer Exhibition have awarded CJ Lim (UCL Bartlett) the prize for best architectural drawing.

nocturnal tower section This is the second year running that CJ Lim has won the prestigious Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects Award, and the third consecutive year he has been recognized by the judges - he was awarded the best newcomer prize in 2005 and the best work in show in 2006.

His entry this year was inspired by the story of the three pigs, although the straw, stick and brick houses are now towers and instead of being set in woodland, they are to be found in Smithfield meat market. The visuals for the scheme are presented in Lim's characteristic style - intricate, painstakingly cut out collage, combined with highly detailed line drawings. As befits a building devoted to pigs and their byproducts, the drawings are presented in glass vitrines etched with the outline of a plate of bacon and eggs.

Each of the towers has a clear purpose, explains Lim: "The straw tower allows air to cure the pork for its required time before being cooked, while the tower of sticks houses meat for smoking. Smoke wafts between the gaps of straws and sticks, while adding flavours to the smoked pork. The tower of brick is the safe home; a collection of pork recipes spans over many levels and are bookmarked by numerous beds. Here, at sunrise, the night meat porters can take refuge from their labour."

As well as a restaurant  - serving an all pork menu - visitors to the pig towers can have all their senses stimulated: "At the feet of the three towers lies an invisible orchard. Visitors to this virtual apple orchard experience an ephemeral space described by scents. By day, as the virtual apple tree is darkened by the tower's shadow, each atomiser releases the sweet smell of an apple. A huge range of apples populates the orchard, each apple with its unique scent."

The work also features in a BBC documentary about Royal Academy Summer Show exhibitors to be screened on 22, 23 and 24 June at 7pm on BBC 2. The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition is on display until 19 August, to find out more about the programme and the exhibition, which also features work by other UCL Bartlett alumni, staff and students, use the links at the top of this article.