NGV MELBOURNE NOW SAMPLING THE CITY
Sampling the City reveals the complex web of personalities, factions and trajectories that make up Melbourne’s vibrant contemporary architectural culture. Presented in an immersive video and sound space, the work and buildings by over twenty Melbourne architecture practices illustrate five themes representation and the city; craftsmanship and materiality; art-engaged practice; stitching the city; and bio-futures/advanced architecture. An adjoining incubator space provides insight into six leading practices and an intimate screening room to a video work by artist Matthew Sleeth.
Curated by Fleur Watson, the project features exhibition design by Amy Muir and Stuart Geddes, projection and soundscape design by Keith Deverall, introductory narrative by Watson and Michael Spooner, and built environment imagery by Peter Bennetts.
Incubator Room Installation
Along with five other Melbourne architects the practice was invited by curator Fleur Watson, to contribute a purpose-designed installation within the ‘Incubator Room’ as part of Melbourne NOW Sampling the City exhibition. The intent of the installation was to provide an insight into the practice and reveal the practices design process.
“The Incubator Room provides an intimate view into the material that passes through the hands of the architect during their design process and, in doing so, reveals how ideas-driven design significantly contributes to the quality of our built environment and to our everyday lives.” Fleur Watson
Commissioned practices represented within the 'Incubator Room' included Cassandra Complex, MAKE Architecture, March Studio, Roland Snooks and Studio Bird.
The site National Gallery of Victoria
4500x4950mm divided with a 200x200mm drawn grid
Grid redefined
190x190x1.6mm mild steel quantity 506
190x185x1.6mm mild steel quantity 22
70x185x1.6mm mild steel quantity 1
70x190x1.6mm mild steel quantity 23
70x115x1.6mm mild steel quantity 1
190x115x1.6mm mild steel quantity 22
68 kg of concrete
A landscape of formed concrete
Made with the hand
Moulded then agitated
Imperfections
A material which is what it is
It has its own properties
It responds in a particular way unlike the precision of steel
Not perfect, not refined
Crafting a condition
The site, Porto Antigo, Portugal
A steeply terraced site overlooking the River Douro
The historic port wine making district
A connection between two countries
A heritage pursued
A found contextual reference not far from the site
The formal gate folding into the stone wall
That then becomes house
Occupying the levels of the site as they are
Working directly with the sites typography
House grows out of the existing wall
Wall defines house
The photo is a tool for
Observing the everyday
Framing, capturing, freezing a condition
It becomes still
Unmoving
Ready for being questioned, interrogated
And time
To be imposed on it
Observe
Reinterpreting an observation
What are we sympathetic to?
What are we subservient to?
What is the hierarchy that determines these decisions?
It becomes clear that a site dictates the outcome
Nothing is predetermined
Working with the conditions and curating the parts
Sculpturing constraints
Photography by Peter Bennetts
