Set back from the pavement on Willow Road is a terrace of three houses, distinctly incongruous to its surrounding, designed by Ernö Goldfinger. The Hungarian architect, who is loved and loathed in equal measure for his brutalist development, Trellick Tower in west London, caused just as much controversy with these three homes. So much so that Ian Fleming used Goldfinger’s name for one of his Bond villains.
Fortunately for us, the Willow Road terrace has weathered the criticism and the National Trust has preserved the central house, which the architect lived in with his family, as a shrine to modernism. Here Goldfinger experimented with innovative design, both in the architecture as well as the furniture and fixtures – light switches are conveniently placed at waist height; the dining table incorporates lino and industrial machinery – creating a uniquely individual home.
It’s a treasure trove that’s inspired the British artist, Ryan Gander. Placed discreetly throughout the house are a variety of his works, ranging from bronze sculptures, paintings and a video to an eye test chart, moneybox and lamps, all of which mimic the house’s design features and exemplify the ethos of Goldfinger’s practice. It’s hard to decipher Gander’s imposters and half the fun is seeking them out, obviously aided a little by the list of works. Some are more obvious than others, like the chess set, ‘Things just happen to me’, that’s placed on Goldfinger’s desk. The chess pieces are interpretations of parts from a Vauxhall Bedford van that the artist’s father would have encountered when he worked for the car manufacturers in the 1970s.
There’s no doubt that Goldfinger’s exceptional use of materials – the staircase combines concrete, brass and rope – struck a chord with Gander, whose ability to concentrate ordinary items and moments in monumental mediums finds a perfect home in 2 Willow Road. Happy hunting.
Freire Barnes