Deconstructing the Children’s Art Pavilion

Abstract

This paper discusses the design, construction and eventual deconstruction of the Children's Art Pavilion at the Newcastle Region Art Gallery in Australia. As a space for children to experiment with art, the Pavilion metaphorically engaged the verandah as a space that has historically (albeit minimally) mediated the zone where inside and outside meet. Its process of deconstruction referenced the work of Gordon Matta-Clark, and was testament to how the architectural design process continues through this phase, albeit uninhibited by the need to create a functioning object. In the time leading up to its deconstruction, the Pavilion became perfectly functionless, while its form and architectural content remained critically intact. Cutting into its surface, as a continuation of the design process, framed the void. Security was replaced with instability, not just physically but emotionally. At this point, the ground became cliff, or broke against the surf, and indeterminacy destroyed the purpose of even the most elementary architectural space. The new construction immediately suggested the possibilities of another architecture. As an intriguing social and architectural experiment, undergone by a building that could have quietly been loaded into a bin within a few hours, this project illuminated the social responsibility invested within architecture.