James Gowan (1923-2012) was a Scottish architect and teacher. Gowan formed an architectural practice with James Stirling in 1956, and together they became known for their radical post-modernist designs. Their most famous work was the Le Corbusier-influenced University of Leicester Engineering Building, and their practice would inspire an entire generation of architects.

This print is of a photographic contact sheet of medium format negatives, some double exposed. It features an additional frame of Lawrence of Arabia taped over the one beneath. The building seen in the background of the negatives is one of his designs for the Greenwich Housing Project.

Gowan was interested in the context of his housing projects, and this print forms part of a series of drawings that reimagines the Greenwich project out of its context, such as in the Sahara surrounded by camels. The idea of juxtaposing a London housing estate with one of the iconic films of the 20th century is typical of Gowan’s approach and sense of humour.