RE:PRESS
Vinyl Record
2086 Narrative
Set within a dystopian Nottingham in 2086, this project imagines a future where music culture has collapsed and vinyl records have been banned by authorities seeking to control emotion, identity and collective expression. In a society stripped of creativity and human connection, music is no longer experienced publicly, and social gatherings through sound have disappeared entire As a response, underground rituals emerge within abandoned industrial spaces where forgotten vinyl records are treated as sacred artefacts. Through pilgrimage, pressing, offering and listening, small communities preserve memory and rebellion through sound.
Spatial Concept
Fire is the central element of the ritual, used to melt, reform, and recreate banned vinyl records as an act of preservation and resistance. In the ritual spaces, damaged records are placed into ceremonial fire pits where heat transforms the material before it is re-pressed into new vinyl, symbolising rebirth through destruction. This process is carved directly into the architecture, with burnt voids and charred surfaces throughout the building. The architecture appears physically consumed by years of ritual activity. It forms immersive environments filled with smoke, diffused light, and charred textures. Through this continuous cycle of melting and reforming records, the architecture embodies the process of destruction, memory, and rebirth.
