Studio 34

FORMS OF ENCHANTMENT

Heather Mitcheltree and Mitchell Ransome | Civic + Process Focus

This studio is available to students enrolled in ABPL90142 Studio C, ABPL90143 Studio D, and ABPL90115 Studio E.

Studio Description

This studio is an exploration of the representation of myth-scapes, and fantastical fabrications in literature, art and architecture. From the nostalgic meanderings of Swann’s Way, Utopian visions, Hieronymus Bosch’s macabre allegorical landscapes, to tales of gingerbread houses, ivory towers, and Homer’s depiction of Odysseus’ travels through Ismarus to Ithaca - speculative geographies and fantastical lands continue to capture our imagination. These enchanted imaginings, take us on a journey through metaphorical transformations, spatial articulations of memory and time, the unheimlich, aspirational visions, and the dark shadows that linger in the recesses of our imaginations and infiltrate our day to day. ‘Forms of enchantment’ is a creative exploration of the mythical constructs, fiction, fantasy and fairy tales that we create, and the role that they play in “reaching beyond the visible and transforming a rich inner life into uncanny, sometimes disturbing matter” (Warner, M., 2018).

Studio Outcome

Within this studio students will undertake:

1. Fact, fantasy and fiction In the first stage, students are asked to explore mythical constructs and fantastical imaginings in art, literature, film, and architecture. Paired with a selected contemporary political issue, students will explore the ways in which these enchanted imaginings, and utopian visions provide insight into socio-political constructs, and the human psyche.
2. Into the looking glass Through interdisciplinary practice students will be asked to re-imagine contemporary neglected urban sites and interstitial spaces. Based on their research, students will develop a speculative proposition that questions traditional boundaries and explores contemporary socio-political conditions, and fantastical fabrications.
3. The Urban Imaginarium In this final phase, students will create an Urban Imaginarium. During this phase students will develop design strategies to navigate complex socio-spatial conditions of fantasy, surreal landscapes, the dark recesses of our imaginations, and the politics of the everyday.

Studio Leaders

Heather Mitcheltree Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Planning and Design (Architecture), and a Master of Architecture. With her broad interdisciplinary qualifications and knowledge base, Heather brings a unique cross-disciplinary insight and skill set to her work. In addition to research and teaching, Heather engages in private design work, creative design collaborations, and research consultation. Heather is a founding partner of Atelier North Design Collective, and has had her work exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, the Melbourne International Fringe festival and featured in a range of publications.

Mitchell Ransome Mitchell currently works in the Digital Fabrication workshop, and teaches design at the Melbourne School of Design. He has an in-depth knowledge of experimental fabrication techniques in architecture, furniture design, model making, materiality and detailing. Through his work Mitchell has developed a strong base across a wide variety of digital skills, such as 3 and 4 axis fabrication, sheet forming, 3D scanning and digital manipulation. Mitchell’s private work focuses on photography and the dislocation and exile of people and place. He has a recently published a book, ‘The Opposite to Good but not Bad’.

Schedule Mondays 12:00-15:00 and Thursdays 18:15-21:15 in MSD Room 237

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