David Kohn

JAE KIM: What’s your first memory of architecture? Was it a childhood aspiration?

DAVID KOHN: I did have an interest in being an architect from a relatively young age, influenced in part by my family. My grandmother was a potter, and my uncle was an interior designer. They both lived in South Africa, where I was born, though we immigrated to the UK when I was four. We returned to South Africa every year, often staying with my grandmother. I was captivated by her work; she had a kiln in her little cottage, and I found the process fascinating. We’d also visit my uncle, who had technical drawing boards that excited me. By the time I was a teenager, I was drawing frequently. My grandmother would send me books on calligraphy, and my uncle would send architecture magazines, which I spent hours copying. So yes, much of my inspiration came from my family.

JK: So, it was a natural progression.

DK: Yes, it was. My parents were very encouraging and took us on holidays to places with significant architecture. I particularly remember a trip to the Loire Valley to see the chateaux and other trips that became more architecturally ambitious as I got older. 

JK: You collaborate with artists on many of your projects. I’d like to hear about the interaction when working with artists on architectural projects.

DK: When I was a student studying architecture, one of my tutors was Eric Parry, an architect based in London. He was very enthusiastic about architects taking an interest in visual arts. I was already engaged, but it became more common for me to attend exhibitions. In the summer of my second year, I attended a summer school at the Slade School of Art, which was a very inspiring experience. After university, many of my work opportunities involved gallery and exhibition design. 

Soon after I started my own practice, I had the chance to collaborate with an artist, Fiona Banner. She had been invited to propose a sculpture for the Duveen Galleries at Tate Britain, one of the UK’s most important art commissions. She wanted someone to work with her on drawings for her installation, which involved inserting two fighter planes inside the gallery. I loved the experience and the way she talked about her work. It challenged many preconceptions about relating to an architectural context. I remember drawing sections through the galleries, which are neoclassical interiors, and inserting the profile of the fighter jet as Fiona required. It was amazing to see how the form of the plane and the gallery section seemed to echo each other. Fiona was interested in the relationship between institutions and empire, beauty and violence. The project wasn’t just about placing a jet in an unexpected environment; it was about the relationship between the forms of the jet and the gallery. This expanded my understanding of what an architectural project conceived by an artist could be. I later collaborated with Fiona on A Room for London, a competition we won. Since then, I’ve worked with many artists and have always found it to be challenging, rewarding, and mind-expanding.