Hearth of the Matter : Usyd Grad Show 2022 Portfolio

HEARTH OF THE MATTER

Curating the Masters’ Exhibition Space

“Right from the start, the ideas of DIY and circularity had fascinated us with their potential of creating a reusable exhibition design that ‘adopts’ the Hearth. The display ‘assemblage’ aims to democratise the students’ curatorial experience with a flexible, self-curated space which adapts to suit their unique projects and perspectives.”

— Adil & Sagarika, M.Arch Design Team

Promotional poster for the Grad Show; as posted on instagram

01

An Assemblage of ideasOrigins, Thinking, Rethinking

Assemblage is a bringing together of disparate elements, found objects, materials with alternative identities and processes of everyday lives into an agglomeration worthy of spectacle and wonder, a part-to-whole transformation that resembles none of the idiosyncrasies or personalities of its constituent elements.

The process of designing the Hearth for the Master of Architecture graduates has involved examining and subsequently reimagining the status quo of exhibition design, visitor biases, psychology and experiential instincts together with spatial dynamics, site constraints and democratising the showcase ethos.

Diversity in all its forms — from a range of graduating student work showcased to the plethora of minds that symphonically realised each nuance of the exhibition — is encouraged, alchemised, even celebrated in this space.

The show was envisioned as a patchwork journey, revealing new stories as corners are turned, connections are forged and ideas are wrought. A sense of hyperlocal agency for each student and each visitor throughout the making, experiencing and transforming of the exhibition experience was the seed idea that sustained through every step of design and curation.

02

Visual NuanceDeriving an Identity from Place

The materiality and concepts driving the exhibition — collaboration, sustainability, ingenuity, rootedness — were distilled into a memorable visual identity through the Assemblage logo and branding that ran across disciplines and throughout the Wilkinson building. The design borrows its language from the staircase, turning it into a key catalysing element that serves as the locus of Wilkinson’s identity, representing discoveries and journeys undertaken within the building.

The volume is exploded apart into three constituent planes with each accorded a colour representative of a discipline; jigsawing again, they are renewed with identity and overlap tonally to explore shared intersections and communality through permeable boundaries.

Conceptual 9x9 Storyboards done in Week 4 shows the ‘protagonist’ exploring the various ‘worlds’ of Wilkinson

Credits - Ginny, Joy & Adil (Group D)

Each piece constituting the M.Arch exhibition was assembled or fabricated or arranged within the Wilkinson building, lending the result a bespoke quality unique to the merits and challenges of the space and befitting its storied, layered history, both in its native custodianship by the Eora nation and its current idiosyncratic volumes as a result of modifications over the decades of Sydney’s transformation process. The present is a reflection of the past, and the quality of space is inseparable from the quality of experience — the movement of people, stories and ideas is ceaseless in its imprints left on place and consciousness.

Week 2 : Seeing the potential in Wilkinson Exploring the ‘Intangible’ Credits - Amanda, Yihan, Sagarika (Group C)

Visually the three monochromes are brought together to ‘assemble’ into a pletora of overlaid hues, reinforcing the spirit of the School — three disciplines existing as discrete entities, and yet through an enmeshing and cross-pollination through collaborations, interaction and discourse, emerges a singular tapestry of ethos.

Series of images unvealing the idea behind the Assemblage logo

Credits - Cedric Ho / External Engagement Office, Usyd

Testing out the logos against the light installation

Credits - Sam Betalli

Credits - Sam Betalli

03

Manifesting AssemblageDesign Realisation

A variety of media, sizes, shapes and datums creates a temporary suspension of rhythm and order — each person’s experience differs from that of their neighbour, and each successive experience differs from the one before.

The proposed display assemblage aimed to democratise the students’ curatorial experience with adaptable display templates: a flexible, self-curated exhibiting amenity for the M.Arch graduate cohort. Each student was offered a canvas of 475mm width, arranged along the height of a larger mesh display space, with four such projects on display on each side of the hanging mesh. Pallets stacked at varying heights below these displays formed undulating terrain to showcase models and/ or portfolios. The students can choose between the suggested templates for their layouts, or opt for a fifth option of self-curating the available infrastructure as per their unique perspectives, accounting for the locations of their portfolio and project description.

A predominantly industrial material often associated with sensations of fences, cages, barriers and cautions, the decision to elect mesh as primary display canvas throughout the Hearth (including degree-specific signages, wayfinding elements, and branding identity) was an attempt to rewrite the norm and seek potential within the ordinary. Due to its porosity, mesh assumes the visual character of studied permeability, different from translucence and yet creating opportunities for lookouts, teasing out multi-axial sightlines from various vantage points.

Reminiscent of textile, mesh produces a shimmering quality and affords varying degrees of privacy and exposure when suspended in a volume, a canvas of boundless possibilities as malleable as it is structurally defined. Collateral displayed on and against a mesh backdrop becomes simultaneously subject and object, intended for observing rather than viewing.

Pallets were a polarising choice of material at the outset of design conception, with frequent substitutions brainstormed most earnestly within the team due to their relative novelty as an exhibition element, logistical and operational challenges and hesitation over quality control. In due course of time, the choice distilled and settled as an evident embodiment of circularity, DIY and sustainability that underscored our cohort’s design impetus.

Recycled pallets possess many distinguishing qualities: a certain nobility due to their humble original uses, ubiquity as a quotidian element, immediately visible but never truly appreciated, and a material rawness as they are pulled from active function and are to be returned as such. Our vision was to create a terrain of pallets as emblematic and environmentally respectful, resonating with the School’s sustainability commitments and evoking privilege in the ordinary — bringing people closer to appreciate an unfinished and unexpected aesthetic.

Schematic drawings showcase how the mesh assembly is spatially shared between students

(Top),(Bottom) Schematic renderings done during Assessment 02 showcase the modules populating the Hearth

(Top),(Bottom) Schematic renderings done during Assessment 02 atrium module in the triple height atrium space

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Process-Making, Unmaking 04

The design remained essentially unchanged following the Assessment 02 presentation, both in terms of constituent materials and driving concept. Issues that arose in the discussion with the team involved ideating a location and design of the ‘Masters of Architecture’ degree signage to adopt a uniform language throughout the show and yet resonate with the specific design of the Hearth. DmaF’s assistance and design decision in the matter ultimately prevailed to render an elegant masters signage that ticked all the boxes of concern. Another concern regarding wayfinding and establishing clear sightlines and circulation paths within the various modules was raised and subsequently addressed in the iterations to follow.

04A

Prototype 1 : Double Mesh

To test out our ideas of democratising the student experience and to fully utilise the potential of a suspended mesh display system, we designed, sourced materials for and constructed the first prototype using 4 units of mesh to function as 2 separate screens parallel to each other, separated by a frame and spacers to accommodate testing of various sheet pinning and collateral hooking assemblies. The process was carried out with the brilliant and irreplaceable assistance of Chris and Zoe from DMaF, who had the patience to resolve our most trivial doubts and addressed with creativity all our ‘designer’ concerns.

Mesh Assembly 1 (4 Nos.)

Mesh Assembly 2 (4 Nos.)

1 2 3 4 5

15mm Ply batten (central)

15mm Ply batten (facia)

1200x900mm MS Mesh Nut & Bolt

1200x800mm Recycled Pallet

3 4 5

Legend 1 1

Exploded diagram showing the various components

2

(Right) Mesh assembly getting assembled in the DMaF workshop

(Bottom left) Sectional details of the mesh assembly - 2 layers of mesh sandwiched between 3 layers of ply battens

(Bottom right) Mesh assembly hung using tensile wire, wrapped manually over ply batten

Chris (DMaF), cutting and assembling 2400mm long ply battens for the prototype

(Top) Prototype hung in the hearth

(Bottom) Meshes tied together using wire

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The duly constructed prototype was installed with a suspension system to the coffered ceiling of the Hearth, where various ‘curation’ ideas and templates were tested and sense-checked. A system for presenting student work, portfolios and models began to emerge, with the growing possibility of the option of students getting the opportunity to lay claim to their predetermined share of space to curate their thesis work as they best saw fit.

Feedback from Kate helped us determine optimal viewing heights, angles, the placement and presentation of text matter, the importance of blank ‘breathing’ space, and how to avoid the tendency of reinventing the wheel in display and curation.

An exhaustive and candid discussion with graduating students Caleb and Kevin was immensely useful, giving us invaluable insights into the various kinds of student outputs, timelines and tendencies for active or passive participation — whether a student truly wants to have free reign over their display area or prefers to conform to one of many options of presentation offered to them.

It was encouraging to see enthusiasm for our idea, and further distilled our process by eliminating some solutions and streamlining others. Invaluable feedback from Iakovo at the Tin Sheds Gallery propelled us to attempt our proposal with a single mesh system for a homogenous and more sophisticated aesthetic outcome.

On-site feedback session with Kate

Atrium Module

With the assistance of Chris at DMaF, we were able to design the joinery and understand structural stability of the proposed atrium module. The original design underwent a few modifications to suit the requirements of the space, circulation pinch points and visual balance. Care was taken to ensure that the modular nature of the design remains unchanged, with the same inner mesh panel being suspended from these frames as in the lower height section of the Hearth.

A prototype was constructed accordingly, and on testing it was realised that the design was visually overwhelming the atrium staircase, a key element of the overall show. The decision to reduce the height of the atrium module was made on site, bringing it level with the lower edge of the landing leading up to the B.Des and B.A.E exhibition levels.

Axonometric diagram showing the various components

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40x80mm Timber Post 40x80mm Timber Beam (Roof) 40x80mm Timber Beam (Base) 40x80mm Timber Beam (Central) Mesh Assembly 1200x800mm Recycled Pallets

(Top) Structural timber members getting cut and stacked in the DMaF timber workshop, utilising pine lumbers available in the workshop storage

(Bottom) Timber members moved into the Hearth

(Top) Chris screwing the top beam members to the vertical posts

(Bottom) Kate testing the height of the posts against the staircase parapet

Sheet Templates

The proposed display assemblage aimed to democratise the students’ curatorial experience with adaptable display templates: a flexible, self-curated exhibiting amenity for the M.Arch graduate cohort. Each student was offered a canvas of 475mm width, arranged along the height of a larger mesh display space, with four such projects on display on each side of the hanging mesh. Pallets stacked at varying heights below these displays formed undulating terrain to showcase models and/or portfolios. The students can choose between the suggested templates for their layouts, or opt for a fifth option of self-curating the available infrastructure as per their unique perspectives, accounting for the locations of their portfolio and project description.

Proposed options for sheet templates; as shared with students

Prototype 2Double/Single Mesh

With tentative budgetary approval from External Engagements Office following a rigorous quantity estimation exercise, a second prototype was built using sleeker frames and 2 larger mesh panels as a single ply screen: an altered, minimal iteration of the previous design. Additionally, in this version we tested various ideas to hang student portfolios on the mesh assembly using multiple hooks and tray holders to provide students with the option to utilise their allocated space in all dimensions to suit their media of choice. The idea, while mechanically sound, was later suspended due to the relative difficulty in accessing these portfolios at a distance of 1 pallet from the mesh display. Options for sheet display were further refined and were arriving closer to a unified template of choices regardless of display module typologies.

Axonometric diagram showing the various components

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Legend

15mm Ply batten (central)

15mm Ply batten (facia)

1200x900mm MS Mesh

Suspension Mechanism

15mm Ply Spacer Nuts & Bolts

Recycled Pallets

Image of the prototype tested with models of varying sizes and heights

Image of the prototype showing variations in stacking of the pallets

(Top) Sheets clipped on the mesh using wooden pegs; Photo frames hung lightly from the mesh

(Bottom) Project Descriptions clipped using black aviary clips

An assortment of fixing, hanging, pinning and suspending of collateral was devised for the show complementing the opportunities presented by a mesh display, alternating between self-curated student installation and predefined templates designed to ensure an appearance of variety that are underpinned by subliminal rhythms and patterns running throughout the exhibit modules.

Way Forward

The prototype received largely positive feedback and was essentially approved for bulk construction with a few minor modifications. These included devising ways to maintain stiffness across the mesh, refining sheet affixing mechanisms using tape and pins, and accounting for mesh warping in the individual modules.

Exhibition Layout & On-site marking

Once each section of the design was successfully prototyped and approved, the process of tracing the layout on-site was undertaken. Owing to the multiple parallel axes in the design at an angle to the walls, the marking proved to be an exercise in precision and judgement. As the layout emerged with lines drawn in masking tape on the Hearth floor, circulation issues and bottlenecks were identified and rectified on-site, while a parallel exercise was underway of allocating student briefs to zones and adjusting student numbers within each brief. Later additions to the exhibition including the life-size prototype for A Pavilion for Doing Nothing graduation studio, as well as the Rothwell Winter Intensive required space redistribution, and were efficiently accommodated within the design. The hands-on ideating and amending resulted in the final layout as realised during the show.

On-site marking of the proposed floor plan; done with masking tape

Meshes suspended into position by the TSG Team; following the marking on the exhibition floor

Brief wise segregation 04G

The design was originally set to accommodate approximately 180 students; however the actual number of submissions varied vastly from our provision at approximately 130. This involved a reorienting of space allocated for each of the 15 briefs, with a defined start and end point for each brief, which would seamlessly flow into the other with intentional blank segments that line up to create viewports cutting through the Hearth. Utilising negative space while segregating students within briefs allowed for more room to appreciate student works and worked as intellectual ‘circuit-breakers’, effectively resetting the viewer for the next project on display.

mlee7699 scar7456

BRIEF 6 Pavilion for Doing Nothing

BRIEF 7 / Architecture, Aesthetics and Ideology (7) ltha7132 yuli6158 fyip5732 anli9927 jjia6385 sans9359 cnie6322

BRIEF 8 Country Climate Carbon (10) cmai3643 zuli5907 jkee8727 ytia5778 sbou9332 araj3377 cwil9932 esyr0143 yshe6071 yoji8583

BRIEF 9 / 24-hour Culture

Brief wise segregation of the proposed floor plan;

Approximately 130 students were segregated into 15 briefs Each color denotes a particular brief/tutor

Architecture Signage

Design of the ‘Masters of Architecture’ degree signage was ideated to adopt a uniform language throughout the show and yet resonate with the specific design of the Hearth. DmaF’s assistance and design decision in the matter ultimately prevailed to render an elegant masters signage that ticked all the boxes of concern.

Axonometric diagram showing the various components

Design Credits - Cedric/Sue/DMaF

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Legend

1200x900mm MS Mesh

12mm Board 12mm Acrylic Alphabets Suspension Mechanism Recycled Pallets Architecture Catalogues 1

4 5 6

2 3

Signages for the various disciplines fabricated by the DMaF Team

Signage installed in the Hearth by the TSG Team for the Opening Night

04H

Portfolio Holders

A neat, refined and hardworking piece, the portfolio display was a design of simple and brilliant elegance by the DMaF team. Concealed and minimal, the battens fit between the slats of a pallet, fixed in place and fastened by the student per their choice of location and orientation. The portfolio reclines suspended, floating above or gently elevated at an incline from the pallets displaying their models. The interested visitor notices the odd book amidst the sea of solid masses, leafs through it, returns it to the shelf and is wont to pick up the next one that appears on their way.

Portfolio Holder Option 1

Portfolio Holder Option 2

Rotatable fixing mechanism of the holder Design & Fabrication Credits - DMaF

Inclined profile of the holder Design & Fabrication Credits - DMaF

05

Getting ready for Opening Night

Once all the modules were installed and suspended as per plan, the process of sorting all submitted student material commenced: arranging as per brief, quality of work, space requirements of models, portfolio displays, curating the sheets according to chosen template style and project content, in addition to allocating project brief locations and individual project description cards for each segment. The exhibition design team undertook the process of taping, pinning, clipping and fixing each of the students’ work, accounting for all unexpected contingencies and resolving issues on-site, including assisting self-curation students with their installation as the exhibition collateral was affixed in place.

(Top) Meshes hung into their proposed positions by the TSG team; Pallets moved into place by the Exhibition Team

(Bottom) Pallets getting stacked in the Atrium

(Top) Sagarika inspecting the undulations in the mesh assembly; atrium

(Bottom) Shweta testing and fixing portfolio holders on pallets

Work in progress

(Top) Exhibition space populated with sheets and models

(Bottom) Shweta and Sagarika putting up sheets on the meshes

(Left top) Sheets fixed to the mesh with tape and wooden pegs

(Left bottom) Project descriptors held in place using black binder clips

(Right top) Meshes held together using metal aviary clips

(Right bottom) SS C-sections tied to the mesh to help prevent further undulations

(Left top) Self Curation by Kevin Hwang (Left bottom) Model space curated by Sarah Anstee (Right) Self Curation by Beverley Lim

(Left) Self Curation by Caleb Niethe

(Right top) Self Curation by Sarah Anstee

(Right bottom) Custom stitched panels by Caleb Niethe

06

The RevealExperiencing a Populated Space

Opening night was a revelatory lesson unto itself. The awareness that while the exhibition will be experienced over the course of two weeks by varying types and numbers of visitors, the massive influx of attendees for the launch would have to be accounted for in the scheme as well, resulting in multiple iterations and alterations to the final outcome.

The proposal reimagines movement through the space and encourages directionality while producing room to change course as one changes their mind in response to the exhibits — lingering, circulating, drifting away and returning for another look, meandering and circumambulating — a space for both quick observations and considered pauses. Multiple project briefs weave multiple student narratives, making the Hearth a canvas for constant exploration, discoveries and an amalgamation of reflections as one absorbs the show.

Voids are introduced to become interstitial nodes; large, intentional volumenes of negative space as pause points and meeting places dotted along the natural eddies and swerves in circulation.

Grad Show Opening Night People viewing the panels

People populating the exhibition during the daytime Credits - External Engagement Office, Usyd

Self curated space by Carmelo Nastasi

The double and triple height areas of the Hearth in conjunction with low coffered ceilings, interceding monolithic elements and intervening stream of users teases out various lines of sight and points of experiential interest. These nodes and lookouts become vantage points and opportunities for incidental interaction — a quality essential to germinating a natural energy within an exhibition. In true Brutalist character, Wilkinson’s spatial and functional organisation and the resulting movement of people follows the policy of ‘strength, function and frugality’. The building is designed for utility and not posterity, allowing the qualitative and ephemeral characteristics of a design school to imprint on its program – any program – through flexibility of usage and opportunities for transformation.

Image of the atrium module in the triple height space Credits - External Engagement Office, Usyd

Credits - External Engagement Office, Usyd

Credits - External Engagement Office, Usyd

07

Critical ReflectionsLearning, Unlearning

When we elected to design the M.Arch section, we were aware of the mantle of responsibility we were taking on — bringing the Hearth to life, a visitor’s first point of contact with the Grad Show experience, the expectations of a perfect experience on multiple levels was justifiably palpable to us. My learning began at appreciating the scale and rigour of our undertaking as we embarked on our journey, and came to rest on the value of unyielding teamwork and trusting my instinct when I found myself at the finish line.

While every discipline of design draws upon a number of fields and knowledges, designing an exhibition is a singular process; in that, more often than not, your site is already a tangible address, a realised idea with its own personality — spatial influence often precedes raw concept ideation; you cannot design in vacuum. I learned to lean into the handicap, to dig deeper and truly learn the place of space in order to unlearn it, to allow the confines to assist rather than desist. For an undertaking of such spectacular proportions to truly succeed, it’s essential to establish a manifesto grounding ideas and internalise a communally-contributed concept or theme along with lines in the sand at which its interpretation would conclude. This process, however tedious and time-consuming, is paramount if not non-negotiable for the successful realisation of an event with as many moving parts as Assemblage. It has made me appreciate the weeks we devoted to establish our core principles, sense-checking and amending over and over till we got it just right. These weeks have urged me to take a closer look at the importance of intuition, allowing the adaptive unconscious to take over the reins when the pieces are too many and moving too quickly. It is a mammoth task to transform the essence of a space such as the Wilkinson from its hyper-educational character to a canvas fit for exhibiting the triumphs of its original usage, while also celebrating a night to remember, a spectacle worthy of the graduates’ pride and achievements. Notwithstanding, true autonomy in design, direction and execution of an exhibition can be attained with synergy between teams, clarity of goals, and a dogged determination to revel in the process.

A marker of what makes an exhibition successful was discussed and recorded on day 1 in hour 1 of our elective, all the way back in August when we were brimming with possibilities and only beginning to grasp the magnitude of this undertaking:

success = people leave inspired

It feels fitting to revisit this affirmation, lying hidden among the detritus of our digital data heaps like a forgotten hero, as I draw this story to a close.

- Sagarika Sharma

We have all been brought up with the idea that architecture should be timeless. In its broadest sense, architecture concerns itself with the uprooting of structures that are permanent, cementing themselves within the greater cultural context and history of humanity.

Through this elective I have come to understand the meaning and value of structures that are designed with the intention to be disassembled — the tectonics of temporary.

The experience provoked me to ask a few questions of myself and of the process; it is in search of these answers that I can encapsulate my criticisms and reflections.

Did the exhibition embody the values that we aimed for during ideation?

Ease of Construction

It was possible for students to construct and assemble the exhibition components in-house with minimal technical support due to the type of material choices.

High Degree of Localisation

All the bulk materials required for the design (mesh, pallets) were sourced from vendors in Alexandria, in close proximity to the Wilkinson building. Additionally, all complementary and supplementary materials (suspension wires, rods, bolts, ply, timber, pins, clips) were either already available on the premises or were sourced from stores within a 3km radius of the building.

Re-configurable Design

Individual mesh pieces could be joined together to form larger multiples of the base module, or as single pieces to become half-modules. Using the recycled pallets accorded a flexibility to the datums as the location and heights of the final outcome could be modified at any time during the set-up process. The exhibition is an assemblage in the truest sense: it can be dismantled and repurposed elsewhere with sufficient ease.

Was the design really circular?

A key motivation for the 2022 cohort was to significantly reduce the bulk of construction compared to past years’ exhibitions, and identify reuse opportunities to extend the lifecycle of constituent materials once dismantled. Timber battens were selected as per dimensions suitable for DMaF stock to be later used as model making supplies; plyboard sizes were maintained to match those required in DMaF SICU lab inductions; the mesh is identified as being particularly suited for horticultural use as well as continuing its current role throughout Wilkinson as a display panel or notice board with opportunity to encourage student pin-ups and conversations; the recycled pallets are slated to be returned to their vendor to resume their original function. The idea of a ‘second home’ for each material was a significant propellant during initial material choices made at the concept stage.

- Mohammad Adil Hussain

08

RetrospectivesNever Too Many Cooks

“Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends”

— The Beatles, With A Little Help From My Friends

The Amazing Graduate Exhibition Elective Team

Hindsight is a beautiful place, and sitting here, basking in the relief and joy of a job (well) done, we’d like to express our sincere gratitude to the elective cohort and each one in the formidable exhibition team. Special shout-outs to the following:

The brilliant Chris, Zoe and DMaF team! …our champions since day 1, extending their genius technical know-how at every stage of ideation, fabrication and install; realising and refining every detail imagined in our designs; patiently and cheerfully accommodating our rookie mistakes and multiple design iterations…

Adrian, always in our corner!

…constantly sharing learnings from his involvement in past grad shows; being a patient sounding board for our worries and providing logical, grounded feedback; assuring us it gets better during crunch-times; enabling us to fully appreciate the scale, complexity and multiple moving parts of the process…

Iakovo & the TSG team, unflappable under pressure! …sharing your experience as old hands at putting up excellent exhibitions; tips and tricks so we wouldn’t trip our way through the place; taking over final setups on the last days and tying all loose ends (literally!); effortless installation of our modules within an admittedly complex design layout; devising deft ways to refine details along the way…

Leslie, you saved the show!

…helping us understand opening-night logistics and pinch-points in the space; “we’re making the show cooler – it’s already cool!”; providing assistance for us to “step-up” to the task right when we needed it…

Sam & Sue, thank you!

…stepping in when we sounded the alarm bells on day T minus 1 to take on crucial incomplete tasks; sticking it out late into the night for the cause…

Shweta, we owe you 3000!

…showing up week after week with unwavering support (and snacks and dinners) with no expectations; lending a hand and a leg when we most needed it and choosing to stay on till the last sheet was put in place…

Kate, you’re a legend!

...pushing us to think beyond the ordinary, to come up with answers to problems we didn’t know we would face; putting out what must be countless fires behind the scenes to ensure our efforts never went in vain; not losing steam and rallying us through our ebbs and flows; the steady stream of gummies…

Signing Off.

Sagarika Sharma Mohammad Adil Hussain M.Arch, Year 5 M.Arch, Year 4