Passersby to Melbourne Central are presented with a new design installation that literally lives and breathes, as Annie Reid discovers.

Designed by emerging artist, Hamish Munro, the innovative installation is the winner of the inaugural The Kisho Prize, an award that pays homage to Melbourne’s culture as well as Japanese designer, Kisho Kurokawa, who designed Melbourne Central in the 1980s.

Measuring six by three metres, the installation comprises a large inflatable sculpture made from digitally printed nylon fabric, which draws on Brutalism and Metabolism themes, as well as references the concrete pod shapes in Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower, in Tokyo.

Artist, Hamish Munro

Suspended below a skylight, the sculpture floats around a steel armature filled with air. Within it, a series of pulleys and strings connect to panel flaps on the outside, which hook up to an existing biometrics machine that records foot traffic data passing through the centre.

As visitors enter and exit the centre, the flaps expand or restrict to change the overall sculpture’s shape, according to the data. “These spaces can be seen as new pods or modules of life, connecting to pre‐existing pathways, lanes, buildings or streets,” Munro says. “My vision of Melbourne’s city is a constant evolution driven by the people who live in it.” The award was judged by a panel of design experts, who invited five creative finalists to submit an installation concept. Announced the winner late last year; Munro was presented with a production budget of $30,000 to bring his submission into life, alongside a bursary of $10,000.

The award was judged by a panel of design experts, who invited five creative finalists to submit an installation concept. Announced the winner late last year; Munro was presented with a production budget of $30,000 to bring his submission into life, alongside a bursary of $10,000.

The sculpture will be available to view for 12 months, and is located on Level two of the Lonsdale Street building, in the Designer Precinct.

Melbourne Central
melbournecentral.com.au