ARCT5101 Architecture Studio 2 Unit Coordinator: Andrea Quagliola Studio Coordinator: Kirill de Lancastre Jedenov ‘Freescapes’
BEAU ROBINSON
‘Welcome to the Freescapes’ As COVID-19 wreaked havoc throughout the world, the Arts in its various forms provided much of the population enjoyment when most other forms of entertainment, such as sport, were shut down in the initial phases of the pandemic. This was despite the tenuous and casual nature of the “gig economy” rendering many of the main stimulus measures redundant for many participants in the arts. Emerging from the pandemic, society must invest in the social capital of ideas, creativity, and expression. With a significant proportion of Australians spending their time and money on arts before and throughout COVID-19, commercialisation at a grassroots level will help foster and develop a scene that emerges from the pandemic far stronger than it otherwise would have been. COVID-19 decimated the Australian Arts industry, and the pandemic has amplified the inequalities that exist in society. Artists and creatives are aligned with Lebbeus Woods’ principles of ‘Freespaces’ in approaching their craft, pushing the frontiers to carve new niches and bending genres to form an artistic identity. The new landscape for the Perth Cultural Centre explores carving spaces to be used in unique ways, avoiding deterministic design, meant for those who actively intend to occupy them and depending on the type of performance intended for the space. The landscape amplifies the existing qualities of the cultural centre as an arts hub of Perth, making performance and artistic expression an intention of the area, not an intrusion in a landscape that is currently underutilised and disjointed. The former QR code system of the pandemic is recycled in combination with NFT’s as a way of allowing various artists to monetize their works, allowing local governments to better target their grassroots funding. The landscape provides a coherent language between the buildings, becoming a hub of contemporary creation and community driven activation.
Image: Immersive event space.
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