Sterile and austere was the brief for the upper level of my art gallery, which features the studio of prominent Australian artist Ron Mueck. The Adjective I used to create this space was the word abattoir. Correlating the most architectural elements of this word, I decided to use a curvaceous pod like structure to emulate the organic composition of the mouth, a devise that further stimulates connotations of meat and its function as food. The jagged glass picture window on the right is a representation of sharp and executing utensils and machinery that would commonly be found in an abattoir. I intentionally created a central corridor that runs through the studio space, which would be constructed from translucent red glass, a metaphorical depiction of the bloodlines of those animals that are killed in slaughterhouses, to strengthen my somewhat uncomforting representation of Mueck’s artist studio.
The upper level seems to effortlessly float above a glass façade, making room for the shared gallery space between Mueck and David Malangi’s studios. Drawing inspiration from the floating aesthetic within architecture like The 1929 Barcelona Pavilion, and Farnsworth House (1994) I attempted to emulate this whimsical design in the gallery space, through the use of glass walls that seem to suspend what’s above them.
The ground floor starts with a set of overly large and long stairs with multiple directions to take and lookouts to stop off at. The noun I used for Aboriginal artist David Malangi, was nomadic, a concept that is permeated from the moment one takes the stairs down to his studio. With multiple journeys to take, and box like studios scattered randomly, this area certainly does pay homage to the more nomadic lifestyle endured by the Aboriginal people in Australia.
Overall, my gallery pays homage to Frank Lloyd Wrights’ design of the Guggenheim Museum in New York- a timeless building that acts as a canvas to the art within, whilst simultaneously becoming the artwork itself. Like Lloyd Wright, I too hope my building does not compete with the art but rather acts as a corresponding piece beside it.
