Australia's Largest Bamboo Structure Is Being Constructed for MPavilion 2016
And with it will come a four-month program of cultural activities.
Melbourne's Queen Victoria Gardens will again play host to MPavilion, a four-month program of free talks, workshops, performances and installations from October 5, 2016 to February 18, 2017. This year, Indian architect Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai will install Australia's largest bamboo structure — of all time.
The 282-square-metre art-chitecture project will be constructed using ancient building techniques and materials sourced from India and Australia. Along with the bamboo, Jain will use earth, stone and rope in order to create a structure that references both the Australian landscape and Indian tradition.
Though it will be made simply from plant and earth-based materials, the structure sounds like it will be anything but simple. The roof will be made of karvi panels, which is created from a mix of cow dung and earth, and will be supported by 2.4-metre-high bamboo columns. White lime daub will act as a waterproofing agent and a 12-metre-tall tazia, an ornamental tower used in Indian ceremonies, will be constructed and viewable through the oculus in the suspended ceiling. Basically, it's going to be super, super cool.
Jain told Dezeen that the creative space is meant to "suspend visitors between earth, ground and sky". Studio Mumbai is known for collaboration and often works with local artisans to design and build their projects with a connection to the environment it inhabits.
If you want to get to know more about the man behind the plan, the RMIT Gallery is offering a preview, Bijoy Jain and Lore: Making MPavilion 2016, which will run September 9 through October 22. The exhibition explores Jain's inspiration and process, and features models and sketches of the new MPavilion prior to its official launch on October 4.
MPavilion, presented by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, is in its third year and will again serve as a hub for free cultural activities. Past years have seen the Gardens host AL_A's immersive petal-shaped structure and Sean Godsell Architects' walled garden with moveable exterior. This year's MPavilion will remain in the Gardens until February, after which time it will be moved to a permanent home within Melbourne's CBD.
Via Dezeen and Inhabitat. Images courtesy Studio Mumbai. Top image: Nicholas Watt.
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