Architecture as… Union House, University of Melbourne, 9-25 October 2019
“Architecture as… explored the historical and affectual influence that The University of Melbourne’s Union House building has had upon those who have entered it. Perhaps one of the last opportunities to encounter this strange architectural hybrid, ‘Architecture as…’ is an interlinking tapestry of artwork, design and experiential passage through what is, was and could be before the building is demolished forever. Featuring works by emerging artists, designs for future spaces by MSD students alongside historic plans reanimated with digital technology, this exhibition is Architecture as… an experience.” Alex Walker and Sebastian Haeusler
Spolia
The re-purposing of building stone for new construction, or the reuse of decorative sculpture on new monuments. Latin meaning ‘spoils’.
Johannes van Rijnberk, Spolia Drawing of Union House Building Ground Floor, 2019, Digital Image
Perimeter
Perimeter was inspired by Johannes van Rijnberk’s Spolia Drawing of Union House Building Ground Floor, one of a series of drawings using historic plans reanimated with digital technology.
For me, I couldn’t shake the stark reality that Union House had been earmarked for demolition. A kind of dissonance lingered with me and shaped this work.
Buildings are places where people make things happen. Within the walls, the boundary, the perimeter…action takes place. I used charcoal and the weight of my body to imprint the paper’s surface. The mark that remains is reminiscent of a scar or burn, and denotes the perimeter of Union House, foreshadowing its passing.
In the meantime, the current life of the of the building goes on, reflected in the glass of a once functional wall cabinet.
