Week 8

Theme Specific Project Development

transforming laneways

 As part of a series of temporary urban art interventions
taking place in the City of Sydney, The Infinity Forest (top image)
is a green oasis amongst the hard, vertical walls of
Penfold’s and Hosking Place.
Normally used as a shortcut or smoking area, this
forgotten alley was transformed by a burst of
concentrated nature. In the space between fire escapes,
vehicle ramps and back door entrances, you stumble upon
tough timber walls that conceal a forest within.
Entering this intimate urban living room, you discover
yourself captured in an infinite view of a silver
birch forest, where you can pause and reflect on
the city above. A temporary forest jolting people who cut through Penfolds Place with an unexpected concentration of nature and an intimate reflective room. Highlighting inaction on climate change, combining the landscape of weather and topography with the architecture of a catastrophe and the interactive technology of digital games. (Image 3)


more of the infinity forest

PS: potential spaces
neeson murcutt

 

PS: potential spaces is a collaboration between three disciplines – law, architecture and art – with Chalk Horse collective and Freehills Lawyers. The installation makes apparent the ‘invisible’ legal framework of Tank Stream Way, making reference to historical records such as property and planning boundaries, written descriptions and paintings of the area – originally a fresh water stream over which the street was built. This information is translated directly onto the laneway via survey using custom bronze markers, road paint, and weighted ropes representing a plumb bob and string. Temporary street furnishings are deployed as an indication of possible future habitation with standard council planter boxes appropriated as street lounges.

http://supercolossal.ch/category/blog-post/page/2/ 

http://www.timberawards.com.au/infinity-forest

The Meeting Place – Laneways: By George! Hidden Networks

‘The Meeting Place’ is part architectural installation, part sculpture and social experiment. It is a playful design which encourages participation and interaction whilst heightening the experience of moving through the urban space of Little Hunter Street. The concept is to create a space within the existing lane way – by creating two 4m high curtain walls of elastic fabric. The material has an opacity to it which allows views through and when lit at night becomes a canvas for revealing movement of people through the space. People have to negotiate their way through the laneway by communication and contact with other people like themselves who are moving in the opposite direction.

This social aspect of watching, communicating and negotiating with people will increase positive human contact with a sense of play.

http://www.aspect.net.au/wps/wcm/connect/web/w/projects/type+of+service/design

village underground.shoreditch.london

Enterprising young artists on the London scene are usually presented with the dilemma of having to rent extremely expensive studio space in order to be able to work. This led furniture designer Auro Foxcroft to a rather ingenious and environmentally conscious solution. What was it? Take old subway cars, mount them on a rooftop, and use them for office space! A bit sparse? Sure! But these recycled subway cars are sure to inspire other green-minded, socially conscious artistic efforts.
Located on top of an old brick warehouse in Shoreditch, London, Village Underground provides affordable studio space for young artists (around 15 pounds per week). The subway cars act as working spaces for the artists, while a lower-level restored warehouse is used to host events and exhibit the artists’ works.
The four subway vehicles that make up the village were purchased for a grand total of 200 pounds each. They were then moved on top of the warehouse, and retrofitted to create a working space. The seats inside the carriages were removed, but everything else remains as is (one can even go into the cabin to play around with all the buttons and levers).There are plans to expand this concept to Berlin, Lisbon, and Toronto.
http://www.villageunderground.co.uk/