The Sainsbury Centre

 

Buried deep in the University of East Anglia (UEA) campus in Norwich, sits The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, looking out across the Yare Valley. As well as hosting many art works of international renown, the building itself is a triumph of architectural design by none other than the young Norman Foster. It exhibits many of the features that have become his trademarks and anyone who has spent time in Stansted airport terminal building may experience a little deja vu when they set eyes on the arts centre for the first time. The Sainsbury Centre (which opened in 1978) served as a template for the later airport building. The exposed exoskeletal structure is one of the most notable similarities and has been much imitated, to the extent that its impact may have been dulled by familiarity.

Stansted Airport Terminal
(photo by Oxyman and used here under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License)

With great design comes great responsibility: in 2012 the building came to the attention of Marvel superhero team The Avengers. Its position in unassuming Norwich lent it secrecy and the access to cheap beer at the student union bar was attractive so they chose the building as a base for their first five films. Sadly, successive directors have passed up the opportunity to include footage of The Incredible Hulk contemplating the exquisite detail of Edgar Degas' bronze ballerina figurine.

Two years into their tenure "earth's mightiest heroes" will have crossed paths with Britain's most eccentric, led by the formidable Fiona the Bruce. Again, history doesn't record the encounter but the successful broadcast of Antiques Roadshow on January 29, 2014 is strong evidence that the BBC team came out on top in this tussle. The combination of a generous valuation for Thor's hammer Mjolnir combined with their excellent diction and a nice cup of tea with a slice of Victoria sponge would have been irresistible.

The UEA's position as an international authority on environmental science and ecology is closely linked to its situation within the Yare Valley. To maintain this, it was desirable for the design and construction of The Sainbury Centre to walk a fine line between uncompromising architecture and sympathy with its setting in nature. The wide spanning window that is set into the hill and looks out from the basement of The Sainsbury Centre at the UEA Broad shows that modern and natural need not be mutually exclusive.

The gallery and museum have recently reopened their doors following the UK's winter lockdown of 2021 but the surrounding sculpture park was a refreshing dose of culture during that lockdown. This week I posted a photo of one of the sculptures on the Norfolk Corners Instagram and was happy to be educated by one of my friends that it was the work of Lynn Chadwick.

The sculptures are dotted around the centre itself, the UEA campus and the surrounding countryside and include work from other luminaries such as Henry Moore and Anthony Gormley. A good excuse for a wander around the lake followed by a cup of tea in The Sainsbury Centre cafe or a cheap beer in the student union bar.

To celebrate The Sainsbury Centre's bold modernity here is Joe Cornish's reimagining of the Antiques Roadshow theme tune for a younger generation.

Location: Norfolk Rd, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK

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