MPavilion

Diversity has become a catchcry, a battle cry and an umbrella term for opportunity and access—but is it holding us back? Does the framing of diversity in conversations about our cities and institutions continue to keep minorities and the underprivileged at the margins? How can we move beyond a focus on otherness, and to where do we move? As political and economic forces create rapidly changing populations, engaging design to respond to these changes is not only essential but also urgent. From the ways we house and educate to how we socialise and celebrate heritage, there’s much to consider in building the global city.

Listen back to the distinctions and possibilities of the global city with a line-up of esteemed guests in a lively tag-team conversation as part of our annual MRelay series.

Hosted by social change campaigner Nevena Spirovska, speakers include Farah Farouque, chair of Social Studio; Filipino-Australian writer and emerging curator Andy Butler; MPavilion 2018 Writer in Residence Maddee Clark; visual artists and co-director of A Centre for Everything, Gabrielle de Vietri; openly gay Imam, Nur Warsame; Immigration Museum general manager Rohini Kappadath; Moroccan Soup Kitchen owner and Speed Date a Muslim organiser Hana Assafiri; artist Stanislava Pinchuk (aka Miso);Leah Jing of Liminal magazine and photojournalist and Asylum Seeker Resource Centre volunteer Norman Katende.

This event was supported by VicHealth.

Queer music in Australia is arguably louder and prouder in 2018 than it has ever been—but this modern strength and visibility did not grow out of a vacuum. From singular artists in the ’50s and ’60s to women’s music groups in the ’70s, plus dance hedonism in the ’80s, ’90s and beyond, Australia has a long and rich—but often neglected—history of openly queer music.

This panel discussion at MPavilion is a vibrant reflection on Australian LGBTQIA+ musical expression across the decades, featuring renowned political singer and Federal Circuit Court of Australia judge Judy Small; Clitoris Band and Sheila musician Greadann Jack; academic, archivist and Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives volunteer Kathy Sport; DJ, producer, label-owner and club-night originator Gavin Campbell; and Nick Henderson, sound curator at the National Film and Sound Archive.

Presented by @chaptermusic, this eclectic MTalks gathers a lineup of pioneering artists, archivists and historians for an afternoon that was half panel discussion, half live performance and DJs—and one hundred percent celebration.

http://mpavilion.org/program/chapter-music-presents-australian-queer-music-history/

At a time when Melbourne is undergoing the greatest change since the Gold Rush, we joined Kim Dovey, Rob Adams and Ron Jones at MPavilion to launch their new book Urban Choreography: Central Melbourne, 1985– (Melbourne University Publishing, 2018).

A collective retrospective on the incremental transformation of central Melbourne from the mid-1980s onwards, Urban Choreography documents and discusses the key events, plans, projects, places and people involved in these transformations, seeking to understand the forces—political or otherwise—that drove, framed and constrained them. The book was launched by outgoing University of Melbourne vice-chancellor Professor Glyn Davis.

Following an introduction by Urban Choreography co-author and City of Melbourne director of city design and projects Rob Adams, City of Melbourne CEO Ben Rimmer moderated a panel discussion featuring co-authors Kim Dovey and Ron Jones, as well as former Lord Mayor of Melbourne (1987–8) Lecki Ord, and former CEO of Federation Square (2003–13) Kate Brennan. Together, they discussed the stories and ideas behind the book and why it’s a story that needs to be told now.

MPavilion 2017 attracted international acclaim as one of the top civic spaces in the world today. Designed by Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten of OMA, MPavilion 2017 was named by Wallpaper* as one of the top buildings that shaped culture in 2017. In an interview with Dezeen, Rem Koolhaas said, “We are happy that MPavilion can perform as a theatre of debate around the city and its development, and contribute to the ongoing civic discourse of Melbourne.”

In this exclusive behind-the-scenes event, we shared the details behind MPavilion 2017 from the perspective of its many key collaborators, including: Paul Jones (OMA), Tony Isaacson (Kane Constructions), Ben Cobham (bluebottle), John Noel (Arup) and Helen Wellman, and Tract Consultants. Together they walked us through their material, technological and botanical decisions around this year’s design, providing a behind-the-scenes peek into everything that goes into designing, building and wiring up MPavilion 2017’s groundbreaking, amphitheatre-inspired temporary structure.

Main image by Bec Capp

Australian artist Keg De Souza creates site- and situation-specific projects with people. With an emphasis on knowledge exchange, Keg’s investigation of social and spatial environments is influenced by her formal training in architecture and experiences of radical spaces through squatting and organising.

Keg’s work on an alternative mapping project of Shepparton was formed as part of the MPavilion 2017 regional program in collaboration with Shepparton Art Museum (SAM). At this insightful talk at MPavilion, Keg appeared in conversation with SAM director Rebecca Coates and MPavilion’s own Brendan McCleary, discussing her processes and outcomes, and reflecting upon her recent work in Shepparton.

This event was part of MPavilion’s inaugural regional program. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

Main image: Keg de Souza, 'Temporary Spaces, Edible Places: Isle of Skye, Scotland', 2014, commissioned by Atlas Arts, Isle of Skye, Scotland. Courtesy of the artist.

How are women represented in the media and what are the alternatives?

Panellists Nayuka Gorrie, a Kurnai/Gunai, Gunditjmara, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman who writes on Black politics, queerness and feminism; Brigid Delaney, journalist, author and features editor of Guardian Australia; Natalie Thomas, artist, writer and fierce advocate for the participation of woman in the arts; and Deb Verhoeven, associate dean of engagement and innovation at UTS (Sydney), came together at MPavilion on Saturday 3 February for a compelling discussion of women’s places within contemporary media.

This discussion marked the launch of a symposia series on feminist analyses and strategies in relation to the media, writing, new forms of publishing and text as form, unfolding as part of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art’s summer exhibition Unfinished Business: Perspectives on art and feminism. Surveying the diverse scope of feminist art practices, Unfinished Business focusses upon the dynamic formal invention and social engagement of feminist artists. Asking why feminism is still relevant, necessary and critical today, Unfinished Business explores trans-generational legacies, inheritances and shifts, alongside contemporary conditions and urgencies.

Main image: Sarah Goffman, 'I am with you' (2017). Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Andrew Curtis.

All urban environmental research, policy and practices occur on and in Aboriginal Country. A key challenge for urban practitioners and researchers is to respond meaningfully to the expectations, rights and aspirations of Indigenous people and communities in cities.

Presented by Indigenous researchers and advisory members of the National Environmental Science Program, this panel discussion explored a range of questions about the significance of nature in cities—including threatened species—for maintaining a connection to Country. Considering ways to better incorporate Indigenous values and knowledge of biodiversity into urban design and management, this dynamic conversation drew on traditional methods as a pathway to improving the liveability and conservation value of urban landscapes.

Facilitated by Maddison Miller, this event began with a special performance by the Djirri Djirri Dance Group. (Please note: The introductory performance is not included in this recording.)

Speakers: Bradley Moggridge—Kamilaroi man, hydrogeologist and Indigenous liaison officer with the Threatened Species Hub; Maddison Miller—Darug woman, archaeologist and co-chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group to the Clean Air and Urban Landscape Hub; Rueben Berg—Gunditjmara man, managing director of RJHB Consulting and founder of Indigenous Architecture and Design Victoria (IADV); and Mandy Nicholson—Wurundjeri, Dja Dja wurrung and Ngurai-illum wurrung woman, PhD candidate and manager of Djirri Djirri Dance Group.

This event was made possible by the Hugh D T Williamson Foundation through funding for MPavilion’s series of events looking at design & science.

This panel discussion was the third and final instalment this MPavilion season of Open Journal‘s popular and thought-provoking series High Density Happiness.

It looked at property ownership alternatives, from enforced re-sale restrictions in Brunswick’s Nightingale development, to more complex shared ownership structures and co-housing. The panel explored whether a new ownership framework could be the answer to affordable housing, and considered whether we might see a split market soon emerge. Underpinning these discussions is the idea that we truly do live in a time where generation-long housing stability has long given way, and these ownership alternatives could soon become the new normal.

Speakers: Katherine Sundermann (MGS Architects); Tim Riley (Property Collectives); Tom Alves (University of Melbourne); Nicola Foxworthy (Common Equity Housing Limited); and moderator Laura Phillips (Open Journal).

Main image courtesy Neometro

What does 2018 hold for contemporary arts? Let’s start this new year the right way.

The Australian Parliament commences its new year on the week beginning Monday 5 February, with both Houses sitting for four days. At the same time, artists across Australia are showing work in independent and state-owned galleries; in public and unconventional spaces; and in studios and online. Each one of these exhibitions offers perspectives on contemporary Australia that are sensitive and complex, timely and urgent. Like each bill before Parliament, these exhibitions have involved many months—or indeed, years—of work to prepare for this moment. So what have Australia’s artists chosen to make work about? What does the critical mass of these exhibitions tell us about the pressing issues of today? What is on the arts agenda, and how will we take it into the future?

This interactive discussion on contemporary advocacy for contemporary arts was led by Esther Anatolitis, the executive director of the National Association for the Visual Arts. Creative practitioners and curious minds were invited to take part in this pressing, political and pivotal conversation.

Main image by Bec Capp

Everyone loves coffee, but what's the science behind the perfect morning cuppa?

This special MMeets event, presented by La Trobe University, brought together a physicist (Dr David Hoxley) and a coffee scientist (Dr Monika Fekete) to explore what makes coffee taste the way it does. Audience members were invited to 'pour over' the science of coffee in this interactive morning workshop, complete with crowd tasting (and scoring!) for adults and curious kids alike. The workshop started with a presentation by both speakers—have a listen below.

This event was made possible with the generous support of Three Thousand Thieves; and of the Hugh D T Williamson Foundation through funding for MPavilion's series of events looking at design and science.