Overview
Last summer, we scored a bright pink pool to wade through. A couple of years earlier, it was a sleek bamboo garden and deck, and before that, the very memorable pink carwash. And next up, for its 2022 iteration, the NGV's annual Architecture Commission is gifting us with something even grander — a reimagined version of Athens' famed Parthenon.
Yep, the majestic ancient structure gracing the Acropolis is the inspiration behind this year's winning design, Temple of Boom, by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang. The work will make its home in the NGV's Grollo Equiset Garden from November, the latest piece in an annual series that invites Aussie architects to create site-specific architecture for the gallery's grounds.
Announced today as the Commission's 2022 winner, Temple of Boom celebrates The Parthenon as a symbol of Western civilisation, democracy and enduring beauty. Unlike the Greece original, however, it's set to be decked out in overlapping large-scale artworks by local artists, inviting visitors to ponder how society ties different meanings to architecture and how these change over time.
Tsang and Newman's replica will be big enough for people to wander through and gather in, doubling as a community meeting place for the duration of its stay. As with its predecessors, Temple of Boom will also host a summerlong program of performances, live music and other NGV-led events.
Melbourne's mini Parthenon will grace the Grollo Esquiset Garden from November 16 and stick around until the end of summer.
'Temple of Boom' will be on display from November. For more details, see the NGV website.
Images: Renders of 2022 NGV Architecture Commission 'Temple of Boom' 2022, by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang. Courtesy of Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang.