MPavilion 2021

Overview

Each year, the annual MPavilion design commission unveils an architect-designed temporary structure which plays host to a summer-long festival of free events. And for its 2021 edition, MPavilion returns to the Queen Victoria Gardens from December 2–April 24 2022 for a jam-packed five-month appearance.

Aptly titled The LightCatcher, this year's commission is the work of Venice's MAP Studio. It takes the form of an urban lighthouse, featuring a network of steel tubes and light-reflecting mirrored panels that appear to float above the earth.

You can head along to check it out for free any time during its stay, as well as digging deep into its supporting program of over 400 free talks, workshops, performances and installations.

Among them, catch design-focused conversations with a swag of local and international names, the launch of Patricia Piccinini's hot air balloon sculpture ​​Skywhalepapa, a talk centred on the ancient practice of astronomy within Indigenous Australian Nations, a slew of Melbourne Music Week events and more.

Throw in furniture installations, a masquerade ball, a DJ program, and collaborations with the likes of Melbourne Fringe, TarraWarra Museum of Art and Melbourne Theatre Company, and we're anticipating many a return visit.

John Gollings

Top Images: 'The LightCatcher' by MAP Studio, MPavilion 2021, captured by John Gollings.