Experience a future world of floating cities, submerged metropolises and new desert tracts in which much of Australia has become uninhabitable due to climate change.
Now + When: Australian Urbanism features spectacular architectural visions of Australia’s potential urban future in 2050 and beyond, through the eyes of Australia’s leading architects, designers and urban planners. With groundbreaking 3D stereoscopic aerial views of Australian urban landscapes and accompanied by an immersive soundscape, the exhibition is an unprecedented audio-visual feast.
Opening in Taiwan at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts on Jun 15 and in Adelaide at the Samstag Museum of Art on Jun 22, Now + When presents an entirely new angle on the possibilities inherent in our cities. Speculative approaches to our urban future are explored through a range of digital stereoscopic images chosen from a national competition set by the Australian Institute of Architects. |
The NOW component by photographer and Co-Creative Director John Gollings features a sequence of 3D aerial images of Melbourne, Sydney and Surfers Paradise, contrasted with giant mining pits at Kalgoorlie and Mt Newman. The WHEN component, overseen by Co-Creative Director Ivan Rijavec and produced by FloodSlicer, features a sequence of ideas from 17 architectural collaborations of possible future urban spaces, including floating or submerged cities, or desert spaces.
Now + When debuted in the Australian Pavilion at the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale and has since attracted huge crowds in Seoul, Beijing and Jakarta and closer to home in Sydney, Perth, the Gold Coast, Ballarat and Melbourne.
Exploration of urbanism in the future is prescient as Taiwan enters ‘a new urban era’
The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (KMFA) celebrates its eighteenth anniversary with the opening of two Australian exhibitions: NOW and WHEN: Australian Urbanism co-presented by Australian Institute of Architects as well as Shadowlife co-presented by Asialink center.
Kaohsiung is the second largest city in Taiwan and KMFA is southern Taiwan’s largest-scale general museum of fine arts. Now + When is the first Australian architectural exhibition held in the south of Taiwan. KMFA is the ideal venue for the exhibition with its spectacular visual and sound effects.
In the exhibition, architecture is used as a medium to express the psychological and emotional reactions to the present and the future, and the urban visions are presented in terms of spirit rather than practical solutions to problems.
Urbanism has long been an important issue in Taiwan, a small mountainous island with a population over 20 million. In recent years, the issue has become paramount with remapping of the administrative divisions. Since then, three more special municipalities have been created: New Taipei, Taichung and Tainan. Taiwan is set to enter a new urban era.
Presented by the Australian Institute of Architects and Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. Supported by the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council, an initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government. With additional support from the Australian Office – Taiwan.
Now + When comes to Adelaide – the last chance to see this extraordinary exhibition in Australia!
NOW + WHEN describes the urban density and economic sustainability issues facing Australia, and how these may inform hypothetical visions of urban existence fifty years from now, and beyond. The exhibition engages with timely issues including sustainability, urban sprawl and density, and immigration.
Imagining Australia’s cities of the future, NOW + WHEN showcases a collection of dramatic urban visions from some of Australia’s leading architects, including award-winning Samstag Museum architect, John Wardle.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Samstag Museum and the Australian Institute of Architects, South Australian Chapter, in association with Soundstream Collective, is presenting Great Music in Great Spaces – Resonance: Symbiotic City on Monday 16 July, an exclusive performance by Soundstream Collective featuring premieres by Alec Roth (UK) and David Kotlowy (AUS) with an introductory talk by award winning architect John Wardle. Visit www.architecture.com.au/sa for details.
TAIWAN
The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts
804, Taiwan, Kaohsiung City
Gushan District
15 Jun – 12 Aug, 2012
9.30am to 5.30pm Tue to Sun
www.kmfa.gov.tw
ADELAIDE
Samstag Museum of Art
Hawke Building, City West Campus
University of South Australia
55 North Terrace, Adelaide
22 June – 22 July, 2012
11am to 5pm Tue to Fri
12noon to 5pm Sat, 2pm to 5pm Sun
www.unisa.edu.au/samstagmuseum
The Australian exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale is a major project of the Australian Institute of Architects. Now + When was developed by the Institute for the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale, and featured in the Australian Pavilion.
Media kits with exhibition imagery available at: www.architecture.com.au/nowandwhen/mediakit
Please credit any images.
For media enquiries and high resolution images contact:
Alexandra Cato
National Media and Communications Officer
Australian Institute of Architects
P: 03 8620 3813 M: 0416 022 818
alexandra.cato@architecture.com.au
The Australian Institute of Architects is the peak body for the architectural profession, representing more than 11,000 members across Australia and overseas. The Institute actively works to improve the quality of our built environment by promoting quality, responsible and sustainable design. Learn more about the Institute, log on to www.architecture.com.au |
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