SOPHIE HICKS LIMITED ARCHITECTS, London ¦ Design - The Royal Academy of Arts Exhibition Design SENSATION

The definitive and controversial exhibition which established the group known as the YBA's (Young British Artists) and made artists such as Damien Hirst, the Chapman Brothers and Tracy Emin household names. Our involvement was to design a setting for the art which we did by providing a background which would give minimal interference and maximum contrast to the artworks. The main galleries of the Royal Academy were stripped of any recent architectural additions and returned to their original state. Lowered ceilings were removed to reveal the gilt cornices, and natural light from the skylights was used and only boosted with electric light. Signage was deliberately basic. The result was that the show did not look as if it had been designed, which was the point.