Urban Platforms
location - Former Licorice Factory, Brunswick, Australia
type - Digital Art, Urban Intervention
year - 2022
competition - TerraViva:Tactical Urbanism Now
award - Honorable Mention
media - link
people - Amy Evans
This project aims to enrich the community of Brunswick, Melbourne by utilising disused sites and former industrial areas as temporary Urban Platforms for exhibiting art. Through an adaptable set of modular elements, the project will migrate from site to site, transforming each host site into a temporary public space and cultural forum.
Brunswick once attracted artists from around Australia for its affordable rent. With rapid densification and gentrification, affordability has declined – jeopardising the rich artistic community that is central to Brunswick’s identity.
Urban Platforms simultaneously addresses two problems; the lack of accessible and affordable spaces to exhibit art, and the plethora of vacant industrial sites left behind by socio-economic fluctuations. The project proposes to transform such sites into temporary public spaces. As property developers move in, Urban Platforms will migrate, packing up and adapting to the next host site.
The initial host site for Urban Platforms is the former Brunswick Liquorice Factory site. Located adjacent to Brunswick Station, this site acts as a gateway to Brunswick, guiding pedestrians through a linear outdoor gallery and public space. The project consists of a series of modular elements; platforms, ramps, lights, seats, walls, and plinths. The platforms become the new ground, allowing the existing ecology to thrive; they can be levelled to suit any terrain; and ramps provide accessibility. Remaining elements slot into the platforms and can be reconfigured to suit each event.
Ultimately, the project aims to become a catalyst, to utilise these sites for cultural outcomes rather than solely economic investments.
Amy is an Australian Architect and Spatial Designer based in Berlin. Her work explores the intersection of art and architecture. Her site specific projects span exhibition and installation design, scenography, set design, and architecture - from concept to completion.
As well as research and design work, she regularly teaches design studios at both the University of Melbourne and RMIT.
Amy was a recipient of the Marten Bequest 2020 for her ongoing project titled ‘The City Shaped’.