Sydney Modern, Shop, 2023, 1:50
Make Models were asked to create an interpretation of the Gallery Shop within the Art Gallery of NSW’s Sydney Modern building.
Our journey began with understanding this remarkable space, by visiting it in person. The shop, an immersive and colourful first-of-its-kind large-scale resin installation, was designed by Akin Atelier in collaboration with surfboard designer Hayden Cox.
To encapsulate the essence of the original design, we started with traditional casting techniques for the base, imbuing the model with authentic mass and weight and mirroring the unique floor finish in SAANA’s building design.
Pigments were used in the cast base to attempt to colour match the real-world building design. To echo the luminous bio-resin installation, we used a clear resin that was then painted with colour-matched tones striving to recreate the original object’s dynamic light play. The gallery shop’s display elements were treated with a metallic finish, resonating with their real-world texture.
The open roof layout offered a bird’s-eye view of the layout of the shop relative to the facade of the building, to help recreate the interplay of natural light and shop elements that are experienced in the building.
A unique feature that was not entirely necessary but was entirely fun, was to embed magnets into the concrete cast of the model. This concealed a glue-free joint system allowing for the shop elements to seamlessly attach and detach, enhancing the interactive experience and providing a satisfying ‘click’ in the process.