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STUDIO NAAMA

An international studio for Architecture and multi-disciplinary Art

14/10/2026

Journeys with Mai

Exhibition design for The Box, Plymouth with National Portrait Gallery curated by Hannah Hooks exploring Europe’s historic relationship with the South Pacific, examining examine ideas of power and perception through a range of historic paintings, prints and objects from collection of The Box, The National Portrait Gallery, British Museum, alongside Ra‘iatean and Tahitian artists works and contemporary artworks in response to the exhibition’s themes - building a picture of early encounters between Europeans and South Pacific Island peoples.

Drawing inspiration from archives, and acknowledging the significance of artefacts used as
conduits for revisiting our knowledge of history, standardized materials were deployed to form
the exhibition architecture, foregrounding the artworks free of typical associations, inviting a naïve engagement with the objects and weaving together adjacent contemporary installations, providing an alternative perspective of the works, a second look and a chance to reflect.

The portrait is now on view Getty in Los Angeles.

Photo 1 & 2 Dom Moore
Photo 3 UpArt

13/10/2026

Journeys with Mai

Exhibition design for The Box, Plymouth with National Portrait Gallery exploring the histories between Europe and the South Pacific in the 1770s stemming from the Portrait of Mai, the first Polynesian visitor to Great Britain. The portrait is now on view Getty in Los Angeles.

Photo 1 by UpArt

09/10/2026

The walled gravel garden at Clay Spruce Yellow

06/10/2026

Clay Spruce Yellow on a summer morning

02/10/2026

CSY

Floating bench

28/09/2026

Clay Spruce Yellow

The bungalow kitchen connects the living room on one side and a study on the other, linking views to the walled and front gardens.

25/09/2026

Clay Spruce Yellow

A bungalow in Hackney Wick

24/09/2026

Clay Spruce Yellow

Our latest project - a bungalow in Hackney Wick

24/09/2026

BEFORE IT GETS BUILT
Celebrating the launch of In Progress at Material Source Studio London, showcasing how physical modelmaking remains an essential tool for testing ideas, exploring possibilities and shaping conversations.

Founding partner Mark Rist, alongside Gemma Birchall of Purcell, and Joe Morris of MORRIS+COMPANY with Hadi El Hage of the European Cultural Centre, held a panel discussion exploring how rough and incomplete models can often generate the most meaningful conversations, and why physical modelmaking remains such a powerful tool in the development and communication of architectural ideas - a lively and incomplete conversation in itself that could have kept generating multiple points of view.

For us, this method of modelmaking can be linked to an ambition for an architecture that is not perfectly resolved or finite, having space for adaption, change and participation by those that use it.
As a representational tool that intentionally lacks focus as an image or object, it allows for creative and important conversations on the lived experience.
Roughness is something innately human, so when we can we try and embody this in our work, including in modelmaking.

Thanks to AiM - The Architects Index of Modelmaking and European Cultural Centre Italy for inviting us to take part.

In Progress is a three-year exhibition series tracing the evolution of architecture through physical models.
Beginning in London, the exhibition will travel to Venice in 2027, followed by Manchester in 2028.

You can visit the exhibition Material Source until 23 October.

13/09/2026

We are showing a series of models of Katsuras Farmhouse at ‘In Progress’, the Architects’ Index of Modelmaking exhibition AiM - The Architects Index of Modelmaking . It opens at Material Source on 14 September as part of the London Design Festival London Design Festival .

Katsura’s Farmhouse is the retrofitting of a 16th Century listed farmstead in rural Essex and is in many ways its final transformation from agricultural to domestic, including refurbishment of the farmhouse and terrace with an extension to connect the two, and the conversion of its outbuildings to accommodate an art studio.

Our intention is to embrace the independence of the farmstead’s autonomous elements and embellish existing connections with its fragmentary internal and external spaces, to experience and be enveloped by the surrounding landscape.

1:100 site and massing studies and 1:20 building models show our early testing and designs in the first stages of the project, with later detailed models travelling to Venice for the 2027 Architecture Biennale. We will also be showing Natalie’s short film of the site.

‘In Progress’ is a three-year exhibition series that traces the evolution of architecture through physical models. Starting in London, the exhibition moves to Venice for 2027 followed by Manchester in 2028.

Come and say hello and see the project’s evolution.

Material Source Studio London
120 Saffron Hill
London, EC1N 8QS
14 September - 23 October

Address

183 Euston Road
London
NW1 2BE

Website

http://www.studionaama.com/

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