Studio 30
Bower Studio
Design/Build | Gurindji Arts/Culture Centre
David O'Brien and George Stavrias
!!! Please note that Bower Studio will run a separate application and selection process in addition to the ballot. See the link at the top of the bowerstudio.com.au website for details !!!
Studio Description
Bower Studio has built a relationship with the Gurindji people on their homelands in remote Northern Territory. Our last project with the Gurindji, the ‘Wave Hill Walk-Off Pavilions’, was completed by a team of MSD students supported by local workers. Three pavilions mark the walk-off journey and reflect upon stories shared by elders. The links Bower makes between these stories, the landscapes and the steel, has been recognised nationally and internationally.
Bower Studio has been asked to help keep Gurindji culture strong and we will help build two pavilions at the Kalkarindji community – the artists need protection from the sun and rain. A local work team has also been engaged and they will support you, and you them.
After completing the pavilions, the artists have asked if we could work with them to prepare ideas for a new arts/culture place. Engagement with community at this detail will provide a rich source of inspiration for the final designs.
Classes run 9-12 Monday morning. You will be in the community for a ten-day period from mid-April with cultural competency training and research seminars before working at Kalkarindji. A pre-departure building exercise is held at the Creswick campus 7-9 April. The studio is intellectually and physically demanding – please check the website!. Allow approximately $1,800 for airfares, car hire, etc.
Studio Leaders
DAVID O'BRIEN BPD, BArch (hons), PhD Senior Lecturer in Architectural Design and Technology Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning University of Melbourne David has twenty-five years experience in the construction field designing and building for both commercial and community based clients. He has project managed the construction of community development projects in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Thailand and Papua New Guinea. David initiated the Bower Studio in 2007 and has more recently co-developed the HomesPLUS initiative.
GEORGE STAVRIAS B.A (hons), B.Sc, BPD, MArch George Stavrias is a registered architect and a director of the HomesPLUS program. George has worked as a designer and project manager on eight Bower Studio projects in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. His role includes community liaison, project design and documentation, site management and post-occupancy evaluation.
Reading & Reference
A comprehensive reading list will be provided at the beginning of semester. In the meantime you might enjoy reading Stan Grant's Quarterly Essay (64) 'The Australian Dream'.
TRAVEL Week 5 | $1,800
ST1/30 Monday 9AM-12, MSD Room 239
Contact Handbook Key Dates Website
~ Offered as ABPL90356 Bower Studio ~