Semester 1 2017 Thesis 4
The Cabinets of Curiosities at Luna Park
Derham Groves
Studio Outline:
This design thesis studio involves designing three ‘pop-up’ cabinets of curiosities within the grounds of Luna Park in St. Kilda. Cabinets of curiosities are the forerunners of modern museums, although they deliberately blur the lines between art and science, fact and fiction, entertainment and education, with the primary intention of delighting visitors. To this extent, they have a lot in common with amusement parks like Luna Park; therefore, it makes sense to bring these two fascinating typologies together in one place. Selected items from some of the weird and wonderful collections owned by the University of Melbourne will fill the three cabinets of curiosities.
Studio Leaders
In 2014/2015, DERHAM GROVES was a visiting scholar at the Armstrong Browning Library in Waco, Texas, where he looked at the design of modern day cabinets of curiosities. His research on this topic includes the following publications, projects and exhibitions: A Browning Reliquary (2014), Barber Shops in Melbourne (2014), Arthur Purnell’s Relics (2015), Tattoo Parlours in Melbourne (2015), An Australian Hopalong Cassidy Cabinet of Curiosities (2015), and Lighting up the Armstrong Browning Library (2015).
Learning Outcomes:
- The three cabinets of curiosities at Luna Park will be designed from the inside out, rather than from the outside in. Thus the interior fittings will be designed before or at the same time as the exterior structures.
- The architecture will respond to the items selected for display, as well as to the Luna Park site. Thus there will be a focus on narrative, popular culture, social history, storytelling, surrealism, etc.
- The architecture will aim to sometimes blur the distinctions between floors, walls and ceilings. Thus the use of light projections, mirrors, optical illusions, etc. will be encouraged.
- The architecture will be highly resolved. Thus the designs will be articulated by a variety of means, including collages, drawings, models, photographs, prose, short films, etc.
Reading and Reference:
- Beloff, Zoe (ed.). The Coney Island Amateur Psychoanalytic Society and Its Circle, Christine Burgin, New York, 2009.
- Davenne, Christine. Cabinets of Wonder, Abrams, New York, 2012.
- Marshall, Sam. Luna Park Just For Fun, Luna Park Reserve Trust, McMahons Point, NSW, 1995.
- White, Murray, Stephanie Holt and Julia Murray (eds.). Luna Park and the Art of Mass Delirium, Heide Museum of Art, Bulleen, Victoria, 1998.
ST1/04 Monday 12pm - 3pm, MSD Room 125
ST2/04 Thursday 12pm - 3pm, MSD Room 238