The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney has unveiled a new large-scale public installation as part of its architecture commission series.
Launched in 2018, the series provides emerging Australian architects with the opportunity to design and build a project for the museum’s Ultimo site, taking into account the constraints, location and the needs of the visiting Powerhouse community. Architects are invited to transform the public space into an immersive, multifunctional environment.
The commission emerged from a desire to recontextualize objects and space.
Image:
Zan Wimberley
As the third instalment in the series, the 2022 commission “Cadeau,” by Newcastle-based Curious Practice, is a moveable, modular installation that can be enjoyed by individuals or large groups. Borrowed from the French word for “gift,” Cadeau was inspired by artist Man Ray’s 1921 sculpture of the same name.
The installation is a habitable, prefabricated structure intended to enhance Powerhouse’s central courtyard space. According to Curious Practice directors Warren Haasnoot and Greg Lee, the collection of individual pieces creates a verandah space that visitors can explore and engage with. The moveable nature of the modular components also means the installation can adapt and change with the conditions of the future site.
The moveable nature of the modular components means the installation can adapt and change with the conditions of the future site.
Image:
Zan Wimberley
Haasnoot and Lee said that, like the 1921 sculpture, the commission emerged from a desire to recontextualize objects and space. “Cadeau takes domestic architectural elements and plays with their scale, exaggerating and fusing components to create a new, shared narrative between site, installation and those who visit it,” the pair said.
The commission was created in collaboration with engineering firm Arup and Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH). Cadeau is made using American oak by ASH, which was selected for its uniquely straight plain, and the dark coating helped to accentuate its crown cut grain, and finished with a black Rubio wood cream.
Cadeau follows two previous commissions: “Four Periscopes” by Trias and “Agora” by Penhale and Winter.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
