The Insect Swarm at Somerleyton Hall

Somerleyton Hall (Suffolk), surrounded by 12 acres of gardens, is often presented as a picturesque retreat, but my experience of swarms of insects – wasps, mosquitoes, moths – during my visit differed from its idyllic image.
Inspired by The Rings of Saturn by W. G. Sebald, I investigated the relationship between the existing historical structures and greenhouses, the man-made and natural elements, and the insects nesting in built spaces.
The project exaggerated these conditions, forcing the visitor to experience a series of unnatural ‘habitats’ that oscillate between claustrophobic spaces and open landscapes.

The proposed underground museum is disguised as an extension to the site, mirroring the landscape garden above. Visitors entering this mine-like interior feel as if they had been buried alive. In the underground space, they observe vegetation folding into the underground lightwells, questioning the division between nature and culture.