MPavilion 2016 Design and Writer Announced!

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Model of MPavilion design by Bijoy Jain; image courtesy Studio Mumbai

Melbourne's MPavilion in Queen Victoria Gardens will again be transformed into a design and cultural hub later this year, from October through February. Bijoy Jain, of architecture firm Studio Mumbai, has been appointed to build the temporary pavilion by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, which will be home to a massive series of talks, workshops, performances and installations.

Jain is a leader in sustainable and ethical architecture and has been described as an architect who thinks like an artist. He explores ideas around the role of craft and the handmade in architecture and works alongside skilled artisans and craftspeople to construct his buildings. The Indian architect is interested in the human element of what he calls the concept of 'lore', when local techniques, materials, traditions and knowledge are passed on and shared. In engaging with 'lore', Jain hopes the pavilion to be a 'symbol of the elemental nature of communal structures ... a place of engagement, and a space to discover the essentials of the world and of oneself.'

The 12-metre-high building will be constructed from the most basic of materials: bamboo, earth, stone and rope, and will place the visitor at a point between earth, ground and sky. Once the program ends, the pavilion will be allowed to continue its legacy when it is moved to a permanent home in the city's vibrant architectural landscape.

And newsflash!: To coincide with the design's launch, Art Monthly has once again collaborated with MPavilion and the National Association for the Visual Arts to present the MPavilion/Art Monthly Writing Award of AU$3000. The award aims to support writers in the field of interdisciplinary practice within art and design. This year, Tess Maunder is the worthy recipient and will develop an essay to be published in the December 2016 issue of Art Monthly. Currently a Curatorial Collegiate for the 11th Shanghai Biennale, Maunder will also appear as part of the official MPavilion program. 

recipient of the MPavilion/Art Monthly Writing Award; image courtesy tess maunder