Assignment 3 by Joanne Koh, Yao Ching Lee and Mengxue Wang (Snow)

Comm2411 Communication and Social Relations Assignment 3 Tutor: Fincina Hopgood Tutorial: Wed 930 - 1130 Group Members: Joanne Koh (S3161657), Mengxue Wang (S3248019), Lee Yaocheng (S3255621) Professional Classification: Design Our three design artefacts consist of Red Cape Lane, State Library of Victoria, and Chinatown. Not only are these places all tourist attractions, but they also have the concept of „redesignâ€&#x; incorporated in them. All three artefacts were a part of a response to a problem or issue. This report will go on to discuss how the three artefacts, and how they have been used as part of promotional strategies.

Artefact 1 - Red Cape Lane, QV

This design artefact, located in QV building, is Red Cape Lane. It is one of the few laneways that is lined with cafes and boutiques that leads into the

courtyard of QV building, mimicking popular laneways of Melbourne that is Centreway Place and Degraves Lane. It is classified as a design artefact because of the deliberate use of the laneway idea to bring to QV building a different style and experience for consumers in trying to set itself apart from the usual experience of a typical shopping complex. Thus it uses the idea of the laneway as Melbournians are familiar and attracted to the laneway culture.

Red Cape Lane particularly consists of fashion stores such as Edge Clothing and Stussy and cafes such as Little Cupcakes and Max Brenners. It is reinforcing the laneway culture that is unique to Melbourne and uses it to enhance shopping and dining experiences in this building.

QV building has employed this marketing strategy to its building to enhance a shopper‟s experience by re-creating a familiar feeling of romance that is associated to the traditional laneways of Melbourne. As argued by Fung, Melbourne‟s desire of becoming a world city has used laneways to project a unique, romantic and European experience for Melbournians (Fung, P. 2006).

Thus this concept is used by the QV building to set itself apart from being a generically designed shopping complex.

Although QV building has adopted this idea, it is yet another question to ponder if at all this marketing strategy is effective in bringing commerce to the shops opened in these laneways. In the same concept of the former Corporation Lane being renamed to AC/DC Lane to boost tourism (Frost, W. 2008), the question thus arises if QV building has deliberately tried to capitalise on the use of the concept of Melbourne‟s laneways in its building.

And if this is the underlying motive in creating a different concept for its shopping complex on top of the fact that it is creating a different experience for shoppers.

This is an interesting point to consider as there has been a reported significance in growth of the businesses in the popular laneways of Melbourne. Many businesses are opening up in these laneways with vacancy rates in the laneway sector declining from 4.8 percent to 1.5 percent in September 2009 (Hopkins, P. 2009). It is therefore evident that Melbourne‟s laneways cultures not only influences the people of Melbourne, but it also

makes an impact in the business world. However as Red Cape Lane is a fabricated laneway experience for shoppers, it is interesting to wonder if this same effect that business have on merely being located in a laneway can be applied to Red Cape Lane as well. Perhaps this design of a mock laneway experience can bring financial success to QV building.

References Frost, W. 2008 ‘Popular Culture as a Different Type of Heritage: The Making of AC/DC Lane’, Journal of Heritage Tourism, Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, Vol. 3 , Issue 3, pp 176 – 184 Fung, P. 2006 „The seduction of the laneways: making Melbourne a world city”, Crossings. Vol. 11, no. 2, pp 1-12 Hopkins, P. 2009 ‘CBD laneways, arcades still up retailers’ alley’, The Age Newspaper. Available at http://www.theage.com.au/business/cbd-lanewaysarcades-still-up-retailers-alley-20091013-gvox.html

Artecfact 2 - State Library of Victoria

Located along Swanston St, Victoria State Library is the central library of the entire state of Victoria. Originally known as Melbourne Public Library, the library was commissioned by then Lieutenant-Governor Charles LaTrobe and Sir Redmond Barry, and first opened in 1856. Designed by colonial architect Joseph Reed, its Victorian era, European styled architecture contributes much to the cultural diversity and richness of the city as it is one of the main landmarks and icons of the city. In 1913, the iconic Domed Reading room was

opened to allow for the expansion of the library‟s collection. Later, the library underwent major refurbishments between 1990 and 2004 when the Domed Reading Room was renamed LaTrobe Reading Room. Currently the library holds over 2 million books and serials up from its original 3,846 books in 1856.

Melbourne has been popular among film producers, not just because of the production benefits and convenience, but also because of the anonymity and cultural richness and diversity of the city. Places like Flinders Lane and State Library of Victoria are the more popular places for filming in Melbourne. The architecture and design of buildings in Melbourne allow the city to double for other places in Europe. It is perhaps the comparisons drawn with Europe by Western travellers that have helped Melbourne form its own identity. Among the other buildings in Melbourne, the European styled, Victorian era architecture of the State Library lends Melbourne a certain cultured image. It has long been Melbourne‟s strategy of using its European styled buildings and architecture, with the State Library of Victoria in particular, as part of the city‟s text to communicate itself as the cultural capital of Australia.

While the original idea of design focused on the image and look of a place, „design‟ nowadays includes the idea of „redesign‟ i.e. responding to a problem.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Australia faced an economic slump due to the changing needs of the modern urban economy. Melbourne had to transform itself physically and culturally to respond to the problems. Melbourne rejuvenated its sporting infrastructure, arts and culture facilities, reinvented itself as an „events city‟, and gave itself a competitive advantage economically.

As part of its strategy to become a sporting, cultural and tourism hub, the city refurbished the State Library of Victoria at a cost of AU$200 million. Major renovations took place in the State Library from 1990 to 2004, when the La Trobe Reading Room was built. Furthermore, the city created the Wheeler Centre as part of the UNESCO „City of Literature‟ initiative. The Wheeler Centre, located within the newly developed southern wing of the library, is home to Australia‟s writers and important literary organisations. With this, the

government made no small attempt to keep Melbourne‟s status as the cultural capital of Australia.

References Fox, P 2007, „Stretching the Australian Imagination: Melbourne as a Conservative City‟, The La Trobe Journal, no. 80, pp. 124-142.

Jungwirth, T & Wallis, A 2007, „Filming Melbourne‟s Iconic Architecture‟ Metro, no. 151, pp. 68-70.

O‟Hanlon, S 2009, „e Events City: Sport, Culture, and the Transformation of Inner Melbourne, 1977-2006‟, Urban History Review, vol. 37, no. 2, pp 30-40 State Library of Victoria 2005, About the State Library of Victoria, viewed 20 May 2010, <http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/about/index.html> The Wheeler Centre 2010, The Wheeler Centre: Books, Writing, Ideas, viewed 20 May 2010, <http://wheelercentre.com/about-us/wheeler-centre>

Artefact 3 – Chinatown

Melbourne‟s Chinatown is located within the Melbourne Central Business District around the eastern part of Little Bourke St. ”Chinatown” means different things to different people at different times and in different places. It may be conceived of as a social community, an inner city neighborhood, a suburban shopping plaza, a skid row district, a historic district, a tourist

attraction. People want to walk on the laneways to experience the atmospheric alleys and bustling vibe, want to taste the delicious Chinese food, and want to take part of the ancient mysterious culture. Melbourne's Chinatown was established during the Victorian gold rush in 1851 when Chinese prospectors joined the rush in search of gold. Today, Chinatown is a bustling collection of Asian restaurants and cafes mingled with an eclectic mix of Chinese run businesses, car parks and building sites. Nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings still stand but often with recently designed Chinoiserie facades. Some of the older clan societies, political societies and Chinese churches are still operational.

Urban design also responds to the critical issue of culture expression and representation. As a project that seeks to articulate and preserve the cultural identity of the place, the ways different cultures are expressed and represented in the physical environment becomes a necessary consideration in urban design.

Lavishly decorated Chinese arches or gateways are prominent landmarks of many Chinatown. For example, Chinese arches serve as a symbolic entrance to Chinatown in Melbourne. To install Chinese-style gates on the main thoroughfare of the core Chinatown area highlights the contestation of cultural expression and representation.

Chinatown structures usually contain several architectural features rarely found on other downtown buildings. The most common elements are recessed or projecting balconies, upturned eaves and roof corners, extended eaves covering the main balconies, sloping tiled roofs, smooth or carved columns topped with cantilevered clusters of beams, flagpoles and parapet walls bearing Chinese inscriptions.

“The major decorative elements in Chinese buildings include schemes of gold, red, green, yellow and other brilliant colors; animal motifs, including dragons, phoenixes, or lions; plant motifs, including pine, bamboo, plum and crimsons; other motifs, including pagodas, lanterns, bowls and chopsticks; inscriptions of stylish Chinese characters such as „fu‟(happiness or blessings) and „shou‟(longevity); signboards inscribed in Chinese characters; hanging

lanterns; doors, windows, or archways that are circular, moonshaped and overlain with ornate lattice work; and balustrades adorned with frets.â&#x20AC;?(Lai, 1990) The abundant colorful signs in Chinese language make the area culturally distinctive. Chinese fittings such as pagodas, lanterns and other objects are used as decorative features on many restaurants and gifts shops in Chinatown. In traditional Chinese architecture, the colors and animal motifs are believed to influence the fortune and destiny of a buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x;s occupants.

Red signifies happiness, gold is linked with prosperity, yellow is the imperial color, blue is associated with peace and green is associated with fertility.

Certain mystic animals such as dragons and phoenixes are believed to be auspicious and are commonly carved or painted on walls, columns and shop signs.

References Fact-Archive, 2005, Chinatown, viewed 20th May 2010, <http://factarchive.com/encyclopedia/Chinatown> Giese, D, 1995, Beyond Chinatown, National Library of Australia, Canberra Lai, DC 1990, The Visual Character of Chinatown, College of Environmental Design, UC Berkeley Worpole,K, 1992, Towns for people: Transforming urban life, Comedia and The Gulbenkian Foundation(UK)