spop@spacepopular.com

Space Popular is an art, design and architecture studio that explores the future of spatial experience through research, design, and artworks. The studio is directed by architects Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg. 


Lara Lesmes & Fredrik Hellberg. 2023. Photograph by Bika Rebek


Founders & Directors

Space Popular is directed by Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg, both alumni of the Architectural Association in London (2011). They founded the practice in Bangkok (2013) and have been based in London and Spain since 2016. Space Popular creates spaces, objects, and events in both physical and virtual space, concentrating on how the two realms can blend together. The studio has completed buildings, exhibitions, public artworks, furniture collections, and interiors across Asia and Europe, as well as virtual architecture for the immersive internet. 

Clients, collaborators, and commissioners include national institutions such as MAXXI - National Museum of 21st Century Art, Rome, Italy; The Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design –ArkDes, Stockholm, Sweden; Royal Institute of British Architects, London, UK; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea; as well as independent galleries such as MAGAZIN, Vienna, Austria; and Sto Werkstatt, London, UK. 

Lesmes and Hellberg both have extensive academic experience having taught architectural design studio since 2011, first at INDA, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok from 2011 to 2016, at the Architectural Association in London from 2016 to 2021, and currently at Daniels, Faculty of Architecture, University of Toronto sinde 2020, and UCLA Architecture and Urban Design since 2022. Their current MArch design and research studios both at Daniels and UCLA investigates visions for civic architecture in the immersive internet. 


Solo Shows

2022 Search History - MAXXI. National Museum of 21st Century Art. Rome. Italy

2022 The Portal Galleries - Sir John Soane Museum. London. United Kingdom

2020 FreeStyle. Architectural Adventures in Mass Media - Royal Institute of British Architects. London, United Kingdom

2018 How I Started Hanging out with Home - MAGAZIN. space for contemporary architecture. Vienna. Austria

2018 Value in the Virtual - Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design, ArkDes. Stockholm. Sweden

2017 The Glass Chain - Sto Werkstatt. London. United Kingdom 

Group Shows

2023 The Portal Galleries - MAK - Museum of Applied Arts. (MAK) Vienna. Austria

2019 The Venn Room - Tallinn Architecture Biennale. Estonian Museum of Architecture. Estonia

2019 The Wardian Case - Tapestry Rooms, Palazzo Reale Milano. Italy

Immersive Film

2023 The Portal Galleries - Museum of Applied Arts. (MAK) Vienna. Austria. Sir John Soane Museum. London. United Kingdom

2022 The Global Home - MEET | Digital Culture Center. Milan. Italy

2020 FreeStyle. Architectural Adventures in Mass Media - Royal Institute of British Architects. London, United Kingdom

2019 The Wardian Case - Tapestry Rooms, Palazzo Reale Milano. Italy

2019 The Venn Room - Tallinn Architecture Biennale. Estonian Museum of Architecture. Estonia

2017 The Glass Chain - Sto Werkstatt. London. United Kingdom

Film 

2021 Camera Balla - MAXXI. National Museum of 21st Century Art. Rome. Italy

2021 Let them eat Screens - Unfolding Pavilion, Venice Architecture Biennale. Italy

2019 Gate of Bright Lights - MMCA. Deoksugung Palace. Seoul, South Korea

Public Art

2023 Vega Sphere - Vega School Library. Haninge. Sweden

2020 Becontween - Create London / Becontree. London. United Kingdom

2019 Gate of Bright Lights - MMCA. Deoksugung Palace. Seoul, South Korea

Virtual Space

2023 Rootunda - Vävda rum (Woven places) Exhibition of virtual public art. Sweden

2022 spop.land - The Immersive Internet 

2022 The Square at the End of the Metaverse - Model. Barcelona Architectures Festival. Spain

2021 Camera Balla - MAXXI. National Museum of 21st Century Art. Rome. Italy

2018 Value in the Virtual - Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design, ArkDes. Stockholm. Sweden

2021 Phantom Galaxy - Paco Pabanne. The Immersive Internet  

2020 AA Earth Gallery - Architectural Association School of Architecture 

2020 Freestyle Online - Royal Institute of British Architects

2020 Punto de Inflexión - The Arquia Foundation Festival Arquia/Próxima

2013 The Cloud of Resilience - The Immersive Internet 

Architecture (Realised)

2020 Brick Vault House - Santa Barbara. Valencia. Spain

2015 Wonder Fruit Soi Stage - Wonderfruit Festival. Chonburi. Thailand

Architecture (Unrealised / Speculative) 

2022 Torre Del Solstizio - Bergamo City of Culture. Italy

2021 Babyn Yar Model Pavilion - Kyiv, Ukraine

2018 The Timber Hearth - Venice Architecture Biennale. Italy

2017 A Glass Tower - Sto Group 

2017 Temple for Hilma af Klint - Stockholm. Sweden

2016 Örebro Water Reservoir - Örebro. Sweden

2016 Skellefteå Culture Center - Skellefteå. Sweden

2015 Via A66 - Oviedo. Spain

2015 Livet På Bergs - Nacka. Sweden

2015 Kazymierzowsky Rebound - Warsaw. Poland

2014 National Pantheon of Kazakhstan - Astana. Kazakhstan

2013 Hans Christian Andersen Museum - Odense. Denmark

2013 Collider Activity Center - Sofia. Bulgaria

2012 Live.Make Industrial Arts Center - Cincinnati. USA

Interior Architecture

2020 Infinity Wellbeing - Infinity Wellbeing. Bangkok. Thailand

2016 Infinity Spa - Bangkok. Thailand

2014 MAK Montessori  - Valencia. Spain

Writing

2023 In practice: Space Popular - Architecture Review

2023 The Portal Galleries: Researching Portals in Fiction from the 19th Century to the Present - AD - Multispace

2022 The Guide - E-Flux & ArkDes / Solicited: Proposals 

2021 The Fabric of Civic Teleportation - Dezeen, Metropolis Magazine

2021 The Spatial Essay: Rooms And Objects As Containers Of Information - Expanding Spatial Narratives

2021 Worldviews - AArchitecture Student Journal

2021 Phantomis.land - E-Flux / Confinement

2021 Tweeting Out Loud In The Square Städelschule - SAC Journal. Städelschule. Frankfurt. Germany

2020 Freestyle - E-Flux / Software as Infrastructure

2020 Why You Should Care About Style - Royal Institute of British Architects. London, United Kingdom

2020 Children of the Pandemic - Disegno Journal: Lockdown Papers. London. United Kingdom

2020 From Scrolls to Strolls - Learning to Live Together: Humans, Cars, and Kerbs in Solidarity

2019 Who Owns the Global Home - Exhibition Catalogue - Tallinn Architecture Biennale. Estonia

2019 Non Speculative Virtual House - KooZA/rch & Viceversa Magazine 8

2018 10 Propositions for Virtual Arch - Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design, ArkDes. Stockholm. Sweden

2018 Hoovers not Hoomans - Due Magazine. London. United Kingdom

2013 Thoughts on Meta-Virtual Solipsism - The Funambulist Papers, Volume 1

Furniture 

2020 The Second Collection - Infinity Wellbeing. Bangkok. Thailand

2018 The Milanese Knight - Salone del Mobile. Milan. Italy

2015 The First Collection - Infinity Spa. Bangkok. Thailand

Image

2022 Enter the Immersive Internet - Metropolis Magazine 

2020 Exhibition Road Portal - Kensington + Chelsea Art Week. London. United Kingdom

2020 Zoomed Out Solitude - Wallpaper Magazine

2018 These Lines have Always Been Virtual - Veszprém. Hungary

Performance

2022 The Portal Galleries LIVE - Victoria and Albert Museum. London. United Kingdom

Textiles 

2019 ISO DREAMS - Elementa. Oslo. Norway

2017 Portland Place Out of Character  - Royal Institute of British Architects. London, United Kingdom

2017 Stones of Venice  - Design for a Kimono

2016 Space is the Place - Architectural Association School of Architecture 

Exhibition Design

2020 ROOT DOMAIN - Tracing the Physical Impact of Digital Museums and Archives - United Kingdom

2018 V&A Cars Show - Victoria and Albert Museum. London. United Kingdom

Workshops

2022 Venn Room Workshops - Royal Danish Academy. Copenhagen. Denmark

2019 Venn Room Workshops - Piet Zwart Institute. Rotterdam. Netherlands.

2015 Social Rifting - INDA, Chulalongkorn University. Bangkok Thailand

2015 Stone Pilgrims - INDA, Chulalongkorn University. Bangkok Thailand

2013 Vaults of Pulp - Rosendals Trädgård. Stockholm. Sweden

Event Programming

2019 Architecture for the Immersive Internet - Architectural Association School of Architecture 

2018 You Are a Citizen of Virtual Worlds - Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design, ArkDes. Stockholm. Sweden

2018 Science Fiction and Architecture - Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design, ArkDes. Stockholm. Sweden

2017 Virtual Reality as a Tool for Architecture - Sto Werkstatt. London. United Kingdom

Clients & Collaborators 


MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

MAK. Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria

MAXXI - National Museum of 21st Century Art, Rome, Italy

Sir John Soane Museum, London, UK

 Royal Institute of British Architects - London, UK

MMCA - National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art - Seoul, South Korea

Arkdes. Sweden’s National Centre for Architecture and Design - Stockholm, Sweden

MAGAZIN - Vienna, Austria

Sto Werkstatt - London, UK


INDUSTRY

Alcantara - Milan, Italy 

Setra Group - Stockholm, Sweden

Finsa - London, UK

Sto Group - London, UK


RETAIL & SERVICE

Infinity Spa - Bangkok, Thailand

Infinity Wellbeing - Bangkok, Thailand

MAK Montessori - Valencia, Thailand


FESTIVALS  & BIENNIALS

Tallinn Architecture Biennale - Tallinn, Estonia

DesignMarch - Reykjavík, Iceland

16th Venice Biennale of Architecture - Venice, Italy

Wonderfruit Festival - Pattaya, Thailand


UNIVERSITIES & ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design - Los Angeles, USA

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design - Toronto, Canada

Architectural Association School of Architecture - London, UK

INDA | International Program in Design and Architecture - Bangkok, Thailand

Chulalongkorn University - Bangkok Thailand 

MIARD at Piet Zwart Institute - Rotterdam, Netherlands

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design - Jerusalem, Israel

Konstfack - University of Arts, Crafts and Design - Stockholm, Sweden

ETH - Zürich, Switzerland

University of Melbourne - Australia

School of Architecture and Design - University of Brighton, UK


GOVERNMENTAL & PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

Haninge Kommun (Haninge Municipality)  - Stockholm, Sweden

Österåkers kommun (Österåkers Municipality)  - Stockholm, Sweden 


COLLABORATORS

Joy Wilson

Rachel Swetnam

Deborah Wong

Ludvig Holmen 

Daniel Tayar-Watson 

Max Celar max.celar.earth

Cristina Díaz Moreno, Amid.Cero9

Efren Garcia Grinda, Amid.Cero9

Grace Suthata Jiranuntarat

Pla Kornkamon Kaewprasert, MadeofTWo

Pu Kanyaphorn Kaewprasert, MadeofTWo 

Pik Prapasri  Khunakridatikarn

Nikki Nicha Kiatfuengfoo

Nuknik Thanaporn Lam

Baibua Wachira Leangtanom

Tang Jenwit Narukatpichai

Not Varis Niwatsakul

A Jariyaporn Prachasartta

Jet Jetana Ruangjun

Jay Veerasu  Saetae

Nonae Nutcha Somboonthanasarn

Joy Natapa Sriyuksiri

Top Tachapol Tanaboonchai

Tijn van de Wijdeven