BlackRock is a collaboration between Matt's Gallery and The Lydney Estate in Gloucestershire running artist residencies. Within a context of a high level of ambition but limited funding in the immediate-term, the first phase is modest but sets the foundation for future growth: a vision that allows flexibility for growth, change and adaptation, but is specific about the first gentle moves to be made.

The underlying design philosophy for the project is to create the ‘rug not the picnic’. That is to enable the many and creative adaptations and inhabitations that a set of vigorous visiting artists will bring, without on the one hand burdening those artists with infrastructural headaches, or on the other hand imposing an overpowering formal language. In other words, the good practice of any good gallery design, but pushed a little further to reflect the more open field of possibilities at Lydney.

The first phase is the extreme version of this philosophy with the limited budget used to create the most fundamental infrastructure. The outward appearance is a set of almost mundane practicalities – urgent repair, shelter, water, sanitation, power, warmth. Behind this lies careful consideration of the latent potential of these simple acts - the opportunity for vibrant and creative inhabitation. While part of an overall strategy (vision, direction, identity), the individual components are autonomous and allow further definition of priorities and possibilities.