The Bank of England in Ruins
Exhibition · 11 December 2025 – 17 January 2026 · Hypha Studios, No.1 Poultry, London
An exhibition about architecture, ruins, value and money, shown in James Stirling’s No.1 Poultry opposite the Bank of England. Joseph Gandy’s 1830 drawing of John Soane’s recently completed bank as a future ruin becomes the starting point for models, drawings and objects. Historical fragments are reassembled to imagine possible futures.
Curated by Sam Jacob, Allen Bell, John Clayson and Eda Sefa / Studio Jacob. Presented by Hypha Studios and recessed.space.
Ruins as a beginning
A large model made by Studio Jacob translates Gandy’s drawing into a physical landscape. Alongside it are images of architecture taken from banknotes, souvenir models cast from shredded money and new responses to photographs of the bank’s demolition. The exhibition considers the exchange between economic, symbolic, social and use value.
The Bank of England in Ruins (Model), 2024: Studio Jacob / Institute of Architecture / University of Applied Arts, Vienna. CNC’d MDF, PLA 3D print, paint.
Creative direction:: Sam Jacob.
Manufacturing leads:: Allen Bell, Eda Sefa.
Team:: Hoda Balouchi, Christiane Braml, Yurii Brytov, Mihaela Carpov, Anzhelika Chernytska, Meltem Çinar, John Clayson, Lucia Flir, Mohammad Sajad Ghaderi, Mariia Gross, Melika Hadjarzadeh, Igor Ivanec, Ali Jafari, Asal Kavianifar, Erfan Khosravi, Jonathan Kielhorn, Mintong Lu, Joel Nikles, Marlene Ortner, Jonas Ramoser, Mikael Ristmets, Byron Hayes Roberts, Matthew Simpson, Lærke Nolsø Pommersgård Virkelyst, Zhongzheng Zhang.
Assisting faculty:: Benno Groer, Karl Holzer, Afshin Koupaei.
Contributors
The Bank of England in Ruins (Model), 2024 Studio Jacob. Manufacturing leads: Allen Bell and Eda Sefa.
Featuring work by Studio Jacob / Institute of Architecture, die Angewandte, Vienna, and contributions by:
Supported by Hypha Studios, recessed.space, Cheapside and Sir John Soane’s Museum.
Aslı Çiçek
Bamidele Awoyemi
CAN
David Kohn
DRDH
Drawing Architecture Studio
Fala
Hugh Strange
Joseph Zeal Henry
Kuehn Malvezzi
Madelon Vriesendorp
Maria Lisogorskaya
Mary Duggan
MBL architects
MOS
Muoto
Nigel Coates
Paradigma Ariadné
Paul Andersen
Peter Wilson
Pier Paolo Tamburelli
Piovenefabi
Point Supreme
Sam Chermayeff
Sean Griffiths
Sergison Bates
Shahed Saleem
Space Popular
Supervoid
Witherford Watson Mann
Pasticcio (Finance edition)
Studio Jacob / Institute of Architecture / University of Applied Arts, Vienna. Modelmakers: Allen Bell, John Clayson, Philip Emrich, Miku Kawai, Mintong Lu, Joel Nikles, Jonas Ramoser, Xaver Roos, Eda Sefa, Philipp Frei, Afshin Koupaei.
Architecture and value
Forms Derived from a Cube (Mortgage) and architectural fragments
Banknote collage — Madelon Vriesendorp
Tender Documents
Architects’ responses
Architects’ responses, detail
For exhibitions, acquisitions and commissions: [email protected].