Cedric Price's Unbuilt Fun Palace and Its Lasting Legacy
In the 1960s in London, architect Cedric Price joined forces with theater artist Joan Littlewood to create the Fun Palace, an innovative concept aimed at fostering creativity and education through flexible environments. Although it was never realized, the project pushed the limits of architectural design. The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) houses various related materials, including Price's 'Analytical table of kindred activities,' which enumerates pursuits such as 'recitals' and 'gossip.' A brochure from 1964 referred to it as a 'short-term plaything' for skill acquisition and observation. Price imagined a 'large, mechanized shipyard' utilizing aeronautical technology. Community resistance and bureaucratic challenges are documented in CCA records. In 2013, to honor Littlewood's 100th birthday, the Fun Palaces Campaign was relaunched, promoting community spaces for joy and learning on the first weekend of October.
Key facts
- Cedric Price and Joan Littlewood collaborated on the Fun Palace in 1960s London.
- The Fun Palace was never built.
- The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) holds hundreds of objects related to Price.
- Price's 'Analytical table of kindred activities' diagram lists activities like 'recitals,' 'gossip,' 'fight,' 'sculpt,' and 'broadcast.'
- A 1964 promotional brochure described the Fun Palace as a 'short-term plaything.'
- Price envisioned the structure as a 'large, mechanized shipyard' using gantries, cranes, and beams.
- The project faced opposition from communities and bureaucratic hurdles.
- In 2013, the Fun Palaces Campaign was revived as a not-for-profit organization.
- Every first weekend of October, community members across London open their spaces for the Fun Palaces Campaign.
Entities
Artists
- Cedric Price
- Joan Littlewood
- Stella Duffy
Institutions
- Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA)
- Fun Palaces Campaign
- designboom
- Sunday Mirror
- New Scientist
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom