Colliding Universes in Saint Peter’s Four Meter Woollen Eye by Arturo Muela, Paola Ibarra + Daniela Gutiérrez has been awarded the People’s Choice Award for the Tapestry Design Prize for Architects 2018 (TDPA).
‘This indicative design was intended to be an iris from a member of the MONA community, and it resonated widely with our audience. There is an immense beauty and depth to the work and I am delighted that it has been so popular,’ says Antonia Syme, Director, Australian Tapestry Workshop.
The architects have commented, ‘This piece represents Étienne-Louis Boullée’s vision and megalomania. This enlarged geometric eye is an illustration of his desire for grandeur and power through design that would seem too complex or nearly impossible to put together, or in this case, be woven.
Arturo Muela, Paola Ibarra + Daniela Gutiérrez, Colliding Universes in Saint Peter’s Four Meter Woollen Eye
‘Colliding Universes: What could be considered just an eye, could also be seen as a thin line between past and present, or the separation of interior and exterior. Likewise, this eye could be considered as a vehicle for parallel universes to collide in the viewers minds, flourishing as new interpretations: a womb, an ocean, space, or an eclipse. This timeless design can also remind us of our past or tap into our future.’
Arturo Muela, Paola Ibarra + Daniela Gutiérrez were also awarded second prize for the TDPA, announced at the Australian Tapestry Workshop in August 2018.
‘It was fascinating to see how architects worldwide responded to David Walsh’s challenging brief to design a tapestry for the hypothetical site of Étienne-Louis Boullée’s ‘Cenotaph for Isaac Newton’ – this mooted building was the inspiration for the Fender Katsalidis Architects’ Pharos Wing, MONA. In his brief Walsh invites architects to create a design that considers both geometry and chaos and is not constrained by the logistics of design,’ said Alice Hampson, part of the 2018 TDPA judging panel.
The TDPA 2018 is a partnership between the Australian Tapestry Workshop, the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) and Architecture Media. Together they seek to foster new creative dialogues between architects and contemporary weavers and offers architects an unparalleled opportunity to consider the capacity by which tapestries can articulate, transform and enrich public and private space.
The TDPA 2018 attracted a record number of 98 national and international entries, from these 15 finalists were selected including the winner, Pop Architecture + Hotham Street Ladies for Chaos and Fertility.
Pop Architecture + Hotham Street Ladies for Chaos and Fertility
