sound + vision

The studio considered the dynamics of selected iconic spaces within Melbourne's Central Business District. The sites were carefully chosen to represent the civic values, historical periods, cultural institutions and corporate sensibilities that define Melbourne’s character and architectural heritage. Sites included the Shrine of Remembrance, Immigration Museum, Federation Square, BHP House, Capitol Theatre and State Library.

The design brief asked for the proposal of an ‘Urban Transformation’ that would take place at the sites within the hours of twilight for one week. This task introduced the concept of designing in time as well as space and addressed the temporal/time-based dimension inherent within the use of sound and light. In manipulating these phenomena and the specifics of their perception, the project offered a refined comprehension of the dynamics at play within the intersection of the senses. 

Collectively the sites and the design interventions constructed a portrait of the cities shared values, common beliefs and hidden desires. The projects encompassed ideas on the construction of history, the nature of collective memory, the experience of duration, the resonance of the ephemeral and the evocation of moods and emotions, that the spatial manipulation of sound and light can produce.