Towards the end of 2020, as the pandemic continued to affect all our lives, I was given an incredible opportunity while working as the Graphic Designer at NEC Australia; to create a sculptural installation feature for the new office that the company relocating to in the coming months.
The project brief was fairly light on detail, in fact I was given almost free reign on what the outcome may be - most designers / creatives would agree this is a double-edged sword - Having constraints can often lead to more creative outcomes, but at the same time, being able to fully express yourself without limitation in your work is an opportunity that doesn’t come along too often. The summation or tone of the initial brief including comments such as:
Beginning the ideation process I started to brainstorm some themes that were important to the company, keeping NEC’s brand statement at the forefront of my mind, Orchestrating a brighter world. With this central pillar I settled on two primary themes to help shape the direction of the piece:
Society flourishes when we recognise and embrace our differences. No matter if we live in the city, country or somewhere in between, the differing ideas we collectively bring to the table, the colour of our skin or who we love; our society is stronger by having diversity of thought and perspective
Our modern city lives are inseparably connected with the natural environment around us, something we can often forget. Even with all our connected technology that NEC plays a part in providing, this very technology connects people more than ever before, however the importance of our connection to the natural world cannot be overstated
After developing a sense of the underlying themes, I visited the new office space (currently in its early re-fit state) to experience where the installation would be, its enormity; over 15m wide and nearly 3m high, as well as to spark some inspiration by being there in person.
Engaging with the project manager and architect at the site on this visit helped shape some further thoughts on how to make it a cohesive and complimentary piece for the interior design choices.
With this new understanding of the site and the themes teased out, it was time to come up with the concept - it became a melting pot of brain matter - eventually drawing from what is important to us all as humans, what is important for our company, and finding connection in our world; both among differing peoples, and with the environment itself.
Bright Victoria is a journey from the bay to the bush, abstractly centred around the flowing Yarra River. The journey starts at Port Phillip Bay and ends at the Upper Yarra Reservoir. Each highlight along the way illustrates something unique from our capital city, finishing with the MCG; an important site to both modern Victoria and the traditional landowners; the site was previously a Kulin Nation Gathering Place before the stadium was built. The journey ends with a dramatically scaled Eucalyptus tree emphasising the importance of our natural environment, the tree hosts some of our uniquely Australian fauna.
The journey emphasises the importance that both the city and country have to each of us at NEC, it illustrates how closely they are connected and represents the commitment NEC has to both areas of Victoria as well as symbolising how NEC contributes to society in an effort to Orchestrate a brighter world.
The installation is intended to be a layered, three-dimensional experience built with compounding sections of plywood. Each shade of grey in the concept drawing represents an separate layer. The Eucalyptus tree feature will ideally be constructed from a range of suitable native Australian timbers, sourced sustainably, using a different timber in its raw / organic state for each of the 3 main tree layers.
Dynamic lighting elements will accentuate these layers. Programmable colour-shifting LEDs will mimic the dawn till dusk cycle within the timeframe of each business day so staff and visitors alike will experience the installation in a different way each time they see it.
Seeing the concept come to life while working with the building project manager and various tradespeople was a highlight of what had been a very difficult year due to the covid-19 pandemic.
The gallery below includes a number of progress photos through the test build at the joinery warehouse as I collaborated with the build team to work out the practicalities of the finished piece and some additional shots of the in-situ construction.
The impact this piece has had on this space at the new NEC office, while still currently underutilised due to covid, has been amazing and exceeded my expectations. During the brief stints that it was possible to work in the office throughout the pandemic, I often walked past to see other employees standing nearby taking it all in or chatting with colleagues about it, the comments I have received from people have been overwhelmingly positive and heart-warming and I'm certain the piece has achieved all of what the brief outlined.
Some of the ideas that were included in the concept were dropped due to either a lack of time, budget, not being feasible; or a combination of all of those things. The outcome that has been achieved by the joiners, electricians and everyone who worked on the physical installation that brought my concept to life is nothing short of stunning when seen in person. And to be perfectly honest, I think the outcome is better off for those omissions, it feels more restrained and impactful as a result.
Being given the chance to create something with so much impact and physical presence was a daunting but an incredible opportunity. A chance I am very grateful to have been given.
The changes that were seen from sketching to concept drawings to production (to-and-fro with the joiner tweaking things so they would work) and last-minute adjustments on site was a richly fulfilling journey, and a reminder that sometimes ideas, for whatever reason, do not work in practicality and other changes are reinforcement that exercising restraint as a design can often lead to better outcomes.
Finally, while I am no longer at NEC Australia, I do hope all the people who experience this piece, connect with it in a similar way as I have done throughout its creation and that it improves their experience when working in the NEC Australia Head Office.