The Australian Pavilion at the 14th International Architecture Exhibition will break new ground, pushing the boundaries of architecture and technology to take visitors on a virtual journey through a selection of Australia’s most intriguing unrealised projects.
Augmented Australia 1914-2014, curated by felix_Giles_Anderson+Goad will bring these projects to life via 3D augmented models, images, voice overs and animations, activated by a specially designed Augmented Australia app that is free to download on common handheld devices.
Australia’s temporary pavilion for the la Biennale di Venezia exhibition, the Cloud Space will house trigger images of each project and form a physical portal to Augmented Australia, while real-world scale 3D models will be geographically positioned around Venice.
According to Professor Rene Van Meeuwen, Director of felix, this ground-breaking technology has allowed the 2014 Australian exhibition to extend beyond the Giardini and use the entire island city of Venice as their exhibition space. For example, visitors with the Augmented Australia app will be able to experience the spectacular 60-metre high ceilings and stained glass windows of Nervi’s unbuilt Australian cathedral while standing in Piazza San Marco.
He explains that visitors can admire the true scale and greatness of each project; some of the projects were so big they couldn’t even fit them on land. For instance, Harry Seidler’s 1952 design of the Melbourne Olympic Stadium has had to be positioned over water, which will only be accessible by boat.
Keeping in line with Rem Koolhaas’s focus on historical importance and national identity, Augmented Australia will showcase 11 historical and 11 contemporary Australian projects from the past one hundred years, which for various reasons, were never built. It will also bring to life the new Australian Pavilion by Denton Corker Marshall, while it is still under construction in Venice. The projects vary in scale and typology from a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site in Western Australia, to a climate modifying glass house for Australia’s Prime Minister in Canberra.
Australian Pavilion Commissioner, Janet Holmes à Court, AC, says the exhibition provides an opportunity to construct a bridge between architecture and the public by demonstrating the process, time and alternatives behind significant public works, and a chance to give archived material new life.
The Augmented Australia exhibition will be presented for press previews during the Vernissage on 5-6 June and will be open to the public throughout the 14th International Architecture Exhibition from 7 June to 23 November, 2014.
The Australian Institute of Architects represents more than 10,000 members across Australia and overseas.
