Alternative Media Group

Imbuing old architecture with vision

Author:

Su-Lin Tan

Posted:

Thursday, 12 January 2012

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While perusing through the Sydney Festival’s art installation at the Sydney University, people will also rediscover some of the institution’s long-forgotten chemistry buildings.

This free event, entitled Vision In Motion, allows the public to walk across campus to enjoy the combined effect of modernist buildings such as the Chemistry Building and architecturally-inspired installations by Narelle Jubelin.

The walk starts from the University Art Gallery and finishes at the Verge Gallery on City Rd.

Ms Jubelin, a Spanish-based Australian artist, will showcase works such as suspended molecular models in the Chemistry Building as well as text from the architectural satire ‘The Gray Cloth’ inscribed on its glass windows

On City Rd, screens in the Tin Sheds Avago window space will play Ms Jubelin’s recent videos.

“It is quite shocking actually,” Ms Jubelin said. “The City Rd display is the most public display of my work.

“A lot of my work has been reframed in the context of the university, especially at the Verge. The works there will pull in the environment to reflect my work which then reflects the architecture.”

Ms Jubelin has been based in Madrid since 1996 and has displayed work in the Venice Biennale as well as international locations such as New York and Lisbon.

The idea for the exhibition came from conversations between Ms Jubelin and the two co-curators of the exhibition, Dr Ann Stephen and Luke Parker.

Mr Parker said: “We have worked with Narelle before and we wanted to provide a visitor experience into the spaces of the university. It was perfect to combine that with Narelle’s spatial interests.”

There were plans to tear down the Chemistry Building as it is infrequently visited. The exhibition is part of a movement to recognise university buildings that are overlooked and to prevent their demolition.

“In some ways the Chemistry Building is far more authentic than the Quadrangle as it is modern Australian work. The scientists love this building. It is full of light and good for teaching,” Mr Parker said.

“The quadrangle is neo gothic and is imported work from overseas. But the Chemistry Building is modernist Australian.”

The Chemistry Building is the first building designed by major Sydney modernist architects Ken Woolley and Peter Webber in the 1950s.

Mr Webber said, “The juxtaposition of the scientific molecular structures is quite complimentary. It has cleaned up the foyer quite a bit!”

The exhibition will be held until February 2, including Saturdays in January.

 

By Su-Lin Tan

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