Found where art, architecture, sound, words, and the realm of dreams converge, Ralph’s practice explores the relationship between the built world and those things shared by all; a body, the earth, the cosmos, the dreams we have. His work engages with human resonance in technology; man’s shadow cast in the machine. It explores the hinterland between sleep and dream, where consciousness fuses, flickers and flies untrammelled by common reason.
Drawing upon diverse lines of enquiry, spanning the scientific to the emotional, via geometry and dream study, his work is an attempt to ‘illuminate in a flash the depths where the inconceivable lies’. Ralph works in a variety of media encompassing painting, film, sculpture, poetry, photography and sound.
Ralph Parker RIBA - cv
He has a keen insight into the processes by which non-standard buildings, objects, sculptures and forms can be created. He pursues a variety of projects individually, and through Honey, a creative cooperative he established in 2007 with longtime friend Anna Gidman. From 2006 he worked part time as the in-house architect within Price & Myers' Geometrics group, and as their senior architect consultant until 2018.
As a practicing architect he has won over 20 awards, including an RIBA award for his Spiral Café (with Marks Barfield). His (musical) Fisherman’s Bridge (Honey) was RIBA shortlisted, and was also runner-up in the RIBA 350 award. He won the John M M Jenkinson Prize at Sheffield University for excellence in professional practice. His proposal for a gateway sculpture for Wales; Dragon’s Breath (2007), which he designed with Antonia Infanger was shortlisted and went to public consultation. At Marks Barfield he was involved in the concept design of the Kew Gardens treetop walkway. At Price & Myers Geometrics he was the architect and designer of ‘Slipstream’; a multi award winning gateway sculpture by Richard Wilson RA at Heathrow Terminal 2 for Heathrow with Futurecity.
Ralph has lived and worked in The UK, China, New Zealand and Japan. He is a part time Teaching Fellow in Architecture at The Bartlett, UCL. and a visiting tutor/lecturer at Westminster University and The University of Liverpool.
Selected Awards:
2004 John M M Jenkinson Prize for excellence in professional practice.
For The Spiral Café :
2005 BDI Awards – Place & Genius Overall Winner
2005 BDI Awards – Excellence in Architecture
2005 Copper in Architecture
2005 Retail Design Awards – Highly Commended
2005 West Midlands RIBA Yearbook Editor’s Choice
2005 D&AD Awards – Longlisted
2006 RIBA Awards
2006 Structural Steel Awards – Certificate of Merit
2006 Civic Trust Award
2006 Quality in Construction Award for Small Project of the year
2007 Landmark Wales – Shortlisted – Anadl y dDraig – Dragon’s Breath (with Antonia Infanger)
https://www.artsjournal.com/aestheticgrounds/landmark_wales_public_art_comp/
2010 Dezeen – Tokyo Designers Week – Eclipse – Winner
https://www.dezeen.com/2010/09/05/dezeen-x-design-association-container-competition-winners-2010/
2010 RIBA 350 – Runner up - The Fisherman’s Bridge
https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/smaller-projects-recognised-in-ribas-350-award/
2010 RIBA Awards – Shortlisted – The Fisherman’s Bridge
http://happypontist.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/fishermans-bridge-cumbria.html
2010 RIBA Forgotten Spaces – Commendation – WalkTheLine
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8706000/8706961.stm
2010 AJ Small Projects – Shortlisted – The Fisherman’s Bridge
https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/fishermans-bridge-lake-district-national-park-by-honey/5212822.article
2012 Wood Awards – Overall winner – The Hurlingham Pool Roof (with David Morley Architects)
http://woodawards.com/portfolio/the-hurlingham-club-outdoor-pool/
2012 Wood Awards – Structural Award - The Hurlingham Pool Roof (with David Morley Architects)
http://woodawards.com/portfolio/the-hurlingham-club-outdoor-pool/
2012 RIBA Award - The Hurlingham Pool Roof (with David Morley Architects)
http://www.ajbuildingslibrary.co.uk/projects/display/id/5320
2013 Structural Awards – Footbridge Award – Pembroke College Bridge – (with BGS Architects)
2014 PMSA – Excellence in Public Sculpture – Slipstream (with Richard Wilson)
http://www.pmsa.org.uk/marsh-award/marsh-awards-2014/
2014 Hull Civic Society Good Mark Award – Slipstream
http://www.hullcivicsoc.info/newsletters/A5%20Newsletter%20Feb%2015.pdf
Selected Exhibitions/Lectures:
2010 RIBA Forgotten Spaces – National Theatre
http://bustler.net/events/latest/2056/riba-london-forgotten-spaces-exhibition
2011 RIBA Regents Street Windows – Regent Street
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--JvxOrbCFM
2003 RA Summer show – The Spiral Café (with Marks Barfield Architects)
2004 RA Summer Show – Prince Salman Science Oasis (With Marks Barfield Architects)
2014 RA Summer Show – Slipstream (With Richard Wilson RA)
2012 Keynote - Wood Awards, The Hurlingham Club
2014 Keynote – Shape to Fabrication
2013 Keynote - Timber Expo
2014 Keynote - Timber Expo
2014 Keynote – Bartlett, UCL
2014 Keynote – Sheffield Hallam University Architectural Society
2014 Keynote – Desktop Engineering – CATIA
2014 Keynote Lecture – Future of Design – IABSE
2015 Sky News appearance ‘in support of Brutalism’ – Sept 20th
2015/16 ‘The New Art of Making’ - Foyles Bookstore 2015-2016
http://futurecity.co.uk/portfolio/the-new-art-of-making/
2016 The New Art of Making - ‘Aiming for the moon’- keynote - Foyles Bookstore
http://www.foyles.co.uk/Making-Futurecity
Selected Publications / Press Articles / Media:
AD Magazine Jan 2014 – ‘Tripping the flight fantastic’ - High Definition: Zero Tolerance in Design and Production
http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118451856.html
The architects Journal – forgotten spaces - Honey
The Guardian – Regents Street Windows
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/may/13/architecture-museums-chelsea-flower-show
Ibook – Slipstream
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/richard-wilson-slipstream/id869276891?mt=11
Slipstream Films Part I - The First Visit
Slipstream Films Part II - Made in Hull
https://vimeo.com/92476425
2016 Correct and Magnificent …forms assembled in light. – essay by Jean Wainright for Futurecity
http://www.research.ucreative.ac.uk/3237/1/JEAN_WAINWRIGHT_NAOM_POSTER.pdf
New Art Of Making – video (excerpt).
https://vimeo.com/user3158527/newartofmaking