梦幻粉色池塘 · 2021 NGV 建筑奖得主

Photographed by Derek SwalwellA rooftop garden with a pink pond, surrounded by indigenous wild flowers, may sound the stuff of dreams. But from this week, visitors to the Grollo Equiset Garden at NGV International in Melbourne can quite literally immerse themselves in the rose-hued waters of this real life installation, which is the winner of this year’s NGV Architecture Commission. “What we look for is a work that ignites conversation and engages audiences,” says Ewan McEoin, senior curator of design at the NGV. “And what we liked about this scheme was its playfulness but also the underlying iconic nature of it as an architectural object… The jury was taken by the very graphic nature of the work. And the idea of people taking off their shoes and walking around in the water is a really nice way to reopen the gallery after being closed for so long.”Sign up to theVogue Living newsletter.Photographed by Derek SwalwellTitledpond[er], the concept behind the installation created by Melbourne based architecture practice Taylor Knights in a collaboration with artist James Carey is to provide a place for people to reflect on their connection to the natural environment. The wild flower garden, designed in partnership with Ben Scott Garden Design has been created as a comment on the precarious and fleeting beauty of Australia’s indigenous flora and is filled with a selection of plants, which will bloom at varying times throughout the period of the installation.The pink pond—a direct reference to Australia’s inland salt lakes—aims to shine a light on the country’s challenges with water not only due to its undersupply but also its political significance as a natural resource.Photographed by Eugene Hyland“It’s asking people in the city to think about these fragile ecologies,” says McEoin. “At the time of running the competition the drought situation in the Murray Darling river system was profoundly different to what it is now—we were in the midst of a severe drought… For me, my favourite aspect is the landscape, which has been beautifully resolved.”Photographed by Derek SwalwellThe biggest challenge in making the design a reality, says McEoin, has been that it sits atop functioning rooms that make up the gallery’s back-of-house. ‘It’s a bold move to put a giant pond on top of all of that,” says the curator. “The technical challenge is making sure it’s all completely waterproof.”Photographed by Derek SwalwellMelbourne’s unfortunate place as the city with one of the longest lockdown periods in the world means that for McEoin at least, the most exciting aspect to the installation will be visitors’ enjoyment. “It’s really been a hard couple of years and just to have something that’s freely accessible and fun is important,” he says. “Whether people engage with the broader narrative of ecology is one matter. What I am interested in personally is how architectural experiences shape people’s memories and emotions. For example, one of the most iconic parts of the NGV is the waterwall at the entry. Every child who has ever visited the NGV has touched that wall. Our understanding of architecture is made up with interlacing memories of often tactile experiences and I think it’s a lovely thing that you can do something so unexpected. The NGV is constantly trying to engage with audiences in interesting ways, to not be so conservative and push the boundaries and have fun. And I think this scheme resonates in exactly that way.”Photographed by Derek SwalwellThe 2021 NGV Architecture Commission will be on display from 6 December 2021–28 October 2022 at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne.Want moreVogue Living?Sign up to theVogue Livingnewsletterfor your weekly dose of design news and interiors inspiration.Subscribe to Vogue Living and you will become a member of our Vogue VIP subscriber-only loyalty program and be rewarded with exclusive event invitations, special insider access, must-have product offers, gifts from our luxury partners and so much more.Subscribe today.