After Warracknabeal

Research output: Contribution to specialist publicationArticleResearch

Abstract

In the Wimmera, the painterly conversion of disused wheat silos has created potential pathways out of traditional patterns of rural decline. In towns such as Brim, Nullawil, and Patchewollock, these art-led transformations have spurred tourist visits and catalysed surrounding networks and ecosystems. Treating infrastructure as large public canvasses has created an armature for a new truth-experience. However, the act of fabrication can also reinforce existing views, approaches, and understandings. As architects and designers operating in this region, we have been forced to reassess our own work in relation to the authenticity of this emerging reality. By relating our experiences in the After Warracknabeal courthouse project, we cast our initial design and subsequent restaging of the on-going refurbishment within the broader context of the Silo Art Trail. We suggest architecture can no longer be a simple signifier. Ultimately, our goal is to identify ways in which architecture becomes a platform for fabricating authenticity, as exemplified in the history of the silo-canvas embedded in contemporary regional Victoria.
Original languageEnglish
Pages18-21
Number of pages4
No.Autumn
Specialist publicationArchitect Victoria
PublisherRoyal Australian Institute of Architects (Victorian chapter)
Publication statusPublished - 2020

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