Hasta La Ideas

An exhibition tracing the evolution of stadium design from antiquity to the present

Welcoming more than four million visitors a year, Rome’s massive Colosseum still remains a mesmerizing architectural feat. Many of today’s sports arenas are no less impressive, and a new exhibition at London’s Soane Museum traces the evolution of these structures from antiquity to the present in “Stadia: Sport and Vision in Architecture.”

From the Hippodrome of Constantinople to ancient Greek amphitheaters, the exhibition—sponsored by architecture collective Populous—looks at the origin of these colossal venues and how architects continue to use some of these design elements as the foundation for contemporary stadia, such as the ultra-sophisticated 2012 Olympic Stadium in Stratford. The display includes original blueprints, highly-detailed models and intriguing stadium relics like terra cotta lamps featuring gladiator fights. One of the most notable items on view is Michaelangelo’s Codex Coner, a pared down architectural sketchbook and the “earliest archeologically correct record of the Colosseum.”

The exhibition also looks at temporary stadia, a concept that evolved around the Middle Ages when sporting events began playing out in town squares, such as Florence’s Calcio Storico competition still held annually in Piazza Santa Croce. These structures really reflect the communal aspect of athletic games, and ways in which a venue’s architecture allows for social activity.

The aspect of how stadium design can affect the population is best seen in Populous’ Sports City, commissioned by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah. Comprised of a 100,000-seat stadium, an arena, aquatic center, multi-sport complex, golf complex and a women’s sport facility, the immense sports complex is conveniently connected to housing, schools, a mosque and a hospital, serving as more of a way of improving the residents’ health.

An exhaustive look at the legacy of sports venues, “Stadia: Sport and Vision in Architecture” is currently on view at London’s Soane Museum through 22 September 2012.

Stunning simplicity in a container highlighting the beauty of vertically-cut wood

Deceptively simple looking, a single Karmi tea canister can take artisans over a year to complete. Manufacturer Syosen, based in Yamanaka (a region known as much for its traditional lacquerware, as for its natural thermal baths), crafts their products following a half-century-old lathing technique. Carving a perfectly-rounded cup or bowl involves precisely thinning the wood, followed by several rounds of lacquering (clear in this case) and extended drying times to ensure a bone-dry core. The technique leaves the natural beauty of the vertically-cut wood grain exposed, creating a muddled elongated effect.

The extensive Yamanaka process came to rise during the Edo period along with the art of the tea ceremony thanks to the area’s bohemian inhabitants (including the father of haiku Basho Matsuo), drawn there by the hot springs. The Syosen canister even takes its name from the Basho principle of haiku that mandates “only local.”

All this heritage makes for an heirloom-quality vessel representing some of the best principles of Japanese product design. Carved with perfectly-spaced, finely-engraved rings, the thermos-like container will stand up to everyday use while preserving the contents within. The result of the intensive processes and highly-engineered lid, interior air quality keeps loose tea and spices (or anything needing a fresh and dry space) at the ready.

The full range of Karmi tea canisters shown above can be seen at the Syosen website. Family-run “eco boutique” Beklina sells the light wood edition for $220.