We Made That were invited to take up a new pilot role as ‘Creative Producers’ at Croome Court, a Grade I Listed National Trust property in Worcestershire. The proposals responded to the seventeenth-century term ‘Drawing Room’ - a space to which people would withdraw for greater privacy or entertaining.
Developed in response to historical research and workshops investigating contemporary notions of ‘withdrawing’, the proposals reflect the unique context of Croome Court; specifically the role craftsmanship and cutting-edge patronage has played in its history. The Withdrawing Room is a distinctive piece of inhabitable furniture in Croome’s Drawing Room, historically known as the Blue Damask Room.
The Withdrawing Room is configured to capture and present the best views of the ‘Capability’ Brown grounds surrounding the house, and to draw attention to aspects of the interior that may have been previously overlooked. Creating new perspectives within the room and reconfiguring the visitor experience, the space is composed of stratified and carved layers of diaphanous fabric that allow the viewer to look out from within, their view curated by the soft folds of iridescent material.
The Withdrawing Room was installed for a year from April 2011 to March 2012.