Artist's Residence, Gallery and Exterior Facade
2019 | Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney | Created with Autocad and Photoshop
The facade, underground gallery, artist’s residence and studio are each linked through the approach taken towards their design. Each are designed to offer people a unique insight into the space, encouraging people to stop, observe and think about the contents within that space more closely. Their design also focuses on the boundaries between public and private space. The designs offer the public a controlled insight into the given space, particularly in the design of the artist’s residence and studio. This creates an interesting dialogue as people see what they are ‘allowed’ to see, influencing or crafting how viewers perceive the space and the artist.
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Inspiring the design of these four spaces is the artist in residence, Tjunka Tapaya. Tapaya is a group member of the Tjanpi Desert Weavers who created the statues exhibited within the facade and underground gallery. The two collections exhibited are called Minyma Punu Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters Tree Women) and Paarpakani: Take Flight.
Central to the design of the artist’s residence and studio was the internal void through the centre of the building. The void takes its shape from the proposed external facade on the edge of the modern MCA. Hence, conceptually, the main body of the facade fits inside the centre of the designed building, as illustrated above (i.e the proposed facade has been ‘removed’ from the centre of the artist’s home and studio). This void largely dictated the form of the artist’s residence and studio. The void is positioned above the entrance/exit of the underground gallery, allowing people to glimpse into the artists studio as they enter and exit the underground gallery, linking the artist with their work. The angles of the voids sides means the public may only glimpse into the artist’s studio, not their living space.
The proposed facade design on the existing MCA contains the Seven Sisters Tree Women. Its design allows people to view the enclosed sculptures in changing lighting. The sculptures are lit by natural light during the day through a sky light. At night strong artificial lights illuminate the statues offering visitors a contrasting light to view the sculptures in. The light is seen from the exterior through the cut outs and openings.
The mirrors are positioned so as to allow the public passing below the facade to catch a glimpse of the sculptures inside, sparking their curiosity. The people in the exhibition room viewing the sculptures see the people walking below in the mirror’s reflection.
The artist's residence sits below the artist's studio and is hidden from view from the public. The artist's studio is a generous space that encourages a collaborative environment. The space is exposed to both natural and diffused light and enables an artist to work with multiple mediums be it painting, sculpting, sewing or projections. A lofted space above the main studio provides more than ample storage space. A balcony connected to the residence and a rooftop balcony allows the artist to take full advantage of the inspiring harbour views of Circular Quay.
Visitors to the underground gallery are offered a controlled insight into the artist's studio by looking up as the descend into or ascend from the underground gallery establishing a deeper connection between the artist with the public. The underground gallery encourages visitors to view the artwork and statues exhibited from different perspectives, prompting them to more closely explore the artist’s work. Visitors descend into the gallery through a long staircase with attached platforms from which visitors may view the sculptures that hang from the ceiling at different angles and proximities. Visitors may catch glimpses of the artworks below, drawing them towards them. The underground gallery offers a versatile space, with room for the works of artists working in different mediums.
