Sydney Opera House Exhibition

A CITA research and exhibition project, for Sydney Opera House exhibition "Danish Design at the House".
In 2014 CITA was commissioned to develop a pod for the Danish Design at the House exhibition in the Sydney Opera House, which was organised by the Danish Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen in connection to the buildings 40th anniversary.

The project takes point of departure in a computational interpretation of Utzons approach towards design. Utzon was inspired by growth patterns in nature as a source for spatial and structural thinking. In our work similar principles are at stake. Computation allows however to move from the allegorical interpretation of growth to an experimental encoding of the fundamental concepts of how nature can be a model for architecture.

The design for the pod has its roots in the project “The Rise” which was developed by CITA for the “ALIVE - Designing with Living Technology” exhibition in Paris, spring 2013. Here CITA explored computational methods for designing with growth. Using code to simulate a growing architecture that continuously senses and adapts to its environment, the project speculates on how a site specific architecture could evolve. Growth allows us to think simultaneously about the questions of material, structure and design intent.  

In the pod these dynamic computational growth patterns become shadow patterns cast onto the pod walls. Like a tree, a virtual structure grows towards the light, climbing the space and creating new intersections. These are then projected on to the walls of the pod and milled as a perforated pattern on to the walls, in turn used to integrate the display of the products.

The pod is realised using digital fabrication. The computer model defines the patterns changing intensity with varying size and depth which is then used to steer the milling machine. The digital model as a tool for steering redefines the process of crafting, bringing design and making closer to each other.

The design and manufacturing information was created by CITA in Copenhagen and send to Sydney, where fabricators cut and assembled the pod. 

The Danish Design at the House exhibition was opened by Culture Minister Marianne Jelved in the presence of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. The exhibition ran from October 25. to November 11. 2014, curated by architects Gerard Reinmuth in Australia and Karen Kjærgaard in Denmark.

Collaborators
Martin Tamke (CITA), David Stasiuk (CITA), Claus Rytter Bruun de Neergaard (CITA), Gerard Reinmuth (Terroir, head curator), Karen Kjaergaard (Karen Kjaergaard, co-curator).

Venue
"Danish Design at the House", Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia.