Delving into the intricate interplay between art, architecture and public space, this studio proposes an understanding of activated art and architecture interventions in the public domain as ‘instruments’. It centres on a prominent site in Auburn, in western Sydney, and is organised in two parts.
The first follows a competition format for a new Art Instrument in a small public site adjacent to Auburn station, while the second part expands to a much larger intervention across the full extent of Auburn Shopping Village. The embrace of an artistic perspective as part of an experimental interdisciplinary approach is designed to challenge existing boundaries of design practice - to see what is beyond or within our realm of architecture. Moreover, the studio confronts the intricacies of a plurality of public identities within public spaces.
By exploring interdisciplinary methodologies as well as practices of drawing and storytelling, projects tackle important questions: What effects can these instruments have on people, their histories and their spaces? How might these effects be used to create a more inclusive and empathetic urban environment? Four bases provide the ground for exploring the following questions. What is art? What is architecture? What is communication? What is public space? Their union results in the productive creation of an instrument for the public, one that uncovers histories, tells new stories, subverts existing configurations of power and fosters a sense of spatial belonging.
With thanks to the following contributors and critics:
Daipeng Chen, Fuse Architects, Andrew Daly, SUPERCONTEXT, Matthew Devine, ADP, Jennifer Ferng, ADP, Rory Hyde, University of Melbourne, Lachlan Howe, ADP, Mohammad Adil Hussain, Stewart Architecture, Tina Kartsounis, JPW, Mathew Mindrup, ADP, Leyla Oz, Urban Art Projects/Studio Loz, Edgar Rodriguez, operadora/Syracuse University NY, John Suh, Tzannes, Jennifer Turpin, Turpin Crawford Studio, Stephen Varady, Stephen Varady Architecture, Yichan Wei, Spiral Architects Lab