‘If You Could Collaborate’, an exhibition that opens tomorrow night at the If You Could Collaborate’, an exhibition that opens tomorrow night at the A Foundation Gallery in London, features work that marries the creative talents of industries that do not normally have an opportunity to interact. As part of the show, graphic designers Praline, who have worked with clients including Coca-Cola and ICI, chose to work with the model shop of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Architects. Praline had previously worked with RSH+P on their exhibition at the Pompidou centre in Paris and were keen to collaborate again.

This collaboration has led to the creation of a font entitled Floorplay. The floorplan of buildings have been translated to find the form of individual characters, which in turn have been turned into models of buildings by the model shop. The aesthetic qualities of the model were the key factor in the design of the font and models, this is an ethos which both Praline and The Model Shop share and it has resulted in a communicative exhibit that highlights the tensions that exist when appropriating language for architecture. The model shop have created four physical interpretations of characters spelling out the word ‘Avec’ (French for ‘with’). Photographs of the model will show the different aspects of the collaboration accompanying the entire laser-cut alphabet and physical model.

The project has evolved from architectural floor plates to font, from font to model, from model to 3D letters, to photographs, to text. All these elements will be installed in the exhibition, to demonstrate the process behind the collaboration. On completion, Praline hope that the font will be made available to download for free.

If You Could Collaborate
15 — 23 January 2010, 12–6pm
(open late on 21 January, 12–9pm)
A Foundation Gallery at Rochelle School, London E2 7ES.