Ever wondered why some of the world’s most recognisable architects today decided to become architects in the first place? Well wonder no more. The Roca London Gallery, designed by one of the featured architects, Zaha Hadid, is currently holding a free exhibition entitled Childhood ReCollections: Memory In Design.

When asked “what or who inspires you?” many architects and architecture students alike refer to well known figure heads of the profession such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Rem Koolhaas, or even Archigram. Childhood ReCollections strives to dive deeper. Beyond a specific building or architect, the exhibition seeks to uncover what experiences truly inspire us to become designers, be it “feel or scent of material or place, the chance encounter of objects or sensations at a particular moment, or an ordinary incident that makes such a lasting impression that it subsequently operates on an intuitive level.”

The exhibition features six (6) world renowned designers – from architecture to fashion – whose memories have been recorded to create “individual multi-sensory displays that explore the relationship between memory and design.”

Here at W+A, we are very interested in the notion of how memory can affect, and in many ways influence, what we create today. This exhibition is sure to prove a great visit for any who can make it.

The participants are: Zaha Hadid, Kengo Kuma, Daniel Libeskind, Nieto Sobejano, Denise Scott Brown and Phillip Treacy.

Exhibition commissioned by Roca London Gallery
Exhibition curator: Clare Farrow
Exhibition and graphic designer: Mentsen