BLURB - FINAL

An art gallery that reflects the concepts of exhibiting Australian artists, that is, expressive, textural, ambient, with an element of purity. This results in an idea of unfolding layers. This can be seen the whole way through the gallery, at site 1, starting at the false facade on King St. This facade melds in with the surrounding heritage structures. Passing through the open doorway, there is a full height glass wall. From here you attain the sense of the gallery. Walls protrude from behind other forms, creating a sense of curiosity and enforcing the idea of layers.

Continuing through this threshold, one passes over a small pond of water. It is at this threshold that one completely leaves behind the busy street life of Newtown. Then, one is presented with a choice to go up the spacious, grand stairway to an intimate display of photography, or to weave around the planar walls on the ground floor, where large paintings and large sculptures are displayed. These layers of walls build upon each other, leading to spaces of significance - for example, the first courtyard, situated part way through the gallery, starting where the neighbouring building ends. Here, one can rest and reflect whilst enjoying further smaller sculptures. Here the light is strongest. One can continue through to view the artists working, this workspace hiding a hallway leading to the kitchen area for gallery functions. Then, onwards, to smaller paintings hung on the walls that protrude through the main exterior wall that crescendo in size, leading you to a glass wall towards the back of the long, narrow site, summoning you towards it, where there is the main courtyard - a place to meet, converse and reflect. The sculptural stairs entice one to follow them up to the first floor, or downwards to the grassy courtyard.

The upper level allows one to view the ground level and experience the art from varying perspectives. Here the light is more dim, coming only from below and the strip in the roof where the rooves of differing heights overlap. The apartment comes off this level, the stairs inconspicously placed to the side, allowing privacy. The apartment level follows the form of the upper level but 1.5m higher.

The walls turn into the roof, a darkly glazed structure covered in steel membrames. These become quite sculptural, the strip of light in the roof reflecting off the curved surfaces, diffusing through the gallery.

The storeroom and gallery are inconspicuously placed next to the grand staircase and although the office is accessible to the public for enquiries and sales is not a form of significance.