B6_#067 // The Cave // Lloyd Lee

The art of wine cellar is quick accessibility to final product. This is somewhat in contrast to its making. Like most alcohol, wine has to withstand the test of time before it can be consumed. For winemakers who have to see it ferment, there must be a kind of romance arising from expectations, anxiety and, most of all, waiting. 
21st century is largely anti-waiting. The desired can be acquired at our fingertips. Restaurants and services advertise how quick they can have their products delivered to your door. This fierce competition that bases itself on the phrase “time is money” relishes a projection that disregards the art of waiting. The following proposal is a mere attempt that brings back the factor of waiting into the consumption of wine, introducing the romance of wine  .

The cave is carved out to fit a rotating copper sphere cut out in two parts. The smaller hole on the top of the sphere connects the inside to the ground above, letting the cave ventilate. It also allows for a straight ray of sunshine once a year to illuminate the central position of the sphere. Then there is a big hole which measures 1m x2m. This primarily acts as an entrance, but as the sphere rotates it also shows a range of selection of wine, suspended in the air by two translucent layers of glass. Essentially, this is a watch mechanism embedded into the cave to fight the world defined by practicality.

Lloyd Lee is a Diploma Student at the Architectural Association