MPavilion 2016—Studio Mumbai
MPavilion 2016—Studio Mumbai
MPavilion is an ongoing initiative of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, supported by City of Melbourne, State Government of Victoria, through Creative Victoria and ANZ. Every year the Naomi Milgrom Foundation commissions an outstanding architect to design a temporary pavilion for the Queen Victoria Gardens, in the centre of Melbourne’s Southbank Arts Precinct, which are then gifted to the state of Victoria.
MPavilion 2016 is designed by Indian architect Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai.
Part of an international movement in handmade architecture, the pavilion uses 7km of bamboo, 50t of stone and 26km of rope to create an extraordinary 16.8m square summer pavilion for Melbourne. Encapsulating Jain’s ongoing interest in traditional craftsmanship and human connectedness, the pavilion sits on a bluestone floor sourced from a quarry in Port Fairy, Victoria. Bamboo poles imported from India for the MPavilion are held with 5,000 wooden pins and lashed together with rope. Slatted panels that form the MPavilion roof are constructed from sticks from the Karvi plant, woven together by craftspeople in India over four months.
MPavilion’s design features an opening at the centre of the roof. Bijoy Jain sees this as a connection between earth and sky and below sits a golden well symbolising the importance of water to place and community. An elaborate ‘tazia’ entrance tower, as used in Indian ceremonies, sits next to the pavilion as a welcoming gesture.
“Naomi has positioned the MPavilion as a kind of cultural laboratory in the park, acting at the intersection between critical theory, design, architecture and art… What has been created in a very short space of time is an educational environment beyond the institution, a museum without a collection and public stage for established and emerging artists.”
Professor Alan Pert, Director of Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne, for the June 2016 issue Australian Financial Review Luxury Magazine.
Image by John Gollings
Image by John Gollings
Image by John Gollings
Image by Rory Gardiner
Image by Alan Weedon
Image by Alan Weedon
Outcomes
The 2016 MPavilion ran from 5 October 2016 to 18 February 2017 at Queen Vcitoria Gardens, Melbourne, exploring themes of Handmade architecture, creative cities, citizen science and collaboration. Over the 139 days, MPavilion hosted 487 free events with 63 talks and public lectures; 39 music performances; 60 gatherings and public workshops; 53 educational events and 31 children’s events.
Accolades: Listed in the Top 10 temporary structures worldwide by Designboom.
Second Life: In 2017 the pavilion was gifted by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation to the people of Victoria and relocated to the Melbourne Zoo in Parkville where it continues to be engaged by the community. The building has since been modified.
94,000+
Visitors over 139 days
350
collaborations including cultural institutions, architects, artists, musicians, dancers, choreographers, scientists, designers, the Melbourne Festival, Confluence: Festival of India, Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts (Asia TOPA), Melbourne Music Week, White Night and the India Leadership Summit.
30
International guests including Bijoy Jain, Aneesh Pradham, Chris Sanderson, Danh Vo, Julia Kagansky, SHOWStudio, Aric Chen, Chiharu Shiota, Christian Thompson, Sir David Adjaye OBE and Jan Gehl.
MPavilion 2016 stool
Designed and made by: Craftspeople in Mumbai, India
Material: Locally sourced timber
Description: Stool representing handmade techniques made by local artisans in India.
Dimensions: 310D x 310W x 530H
Colour: various
