MPavilion 2021 - The Lightcatcher

MPavilion is Australia’s leading architectural commission and design event conceived and created by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. Every year a new temporary pavilion, designed by an outstanding international architect, is erected in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens. Over the summer, it hosts a dynamic program of free events for the community, including: lively talks, performances, workshops, installations and kid-friendly experiences MPavilion 2021 was designed by MAP studio (Venice) architects Francesco Magnani & Traudy Pelzel. Dubbed the Lightcatcher, they imagined MPavilion 2021 as a shimmering, kaleidoscopic device, a form of urban lighthouse intended to illuminate and reflect the diverse, varied and inclusive programming within. An innovative mix of materials, the structure comprises a reticular steel structure in galvanized and painted tubular profiles that house a set of panels in a mirror-finish aluminium coating. This three-dimensional lattice is supported by four u-shaped pillars made of precast reinforced concrete, which can also be used as seating. The Lightcatcher appears to float, suspended above the bright canary yellow, organically-shaped surface below. A circular kiosk in a matching colour provides hospitality to the MPavilion visitors and storage for services and AV equipment. At the close of each summer season, the MPavilion is gifted to the people of Victoria and relocated to a new, permanent home, where it can continue to be engaged with by the community. The Lightcatcher is designed to be entirely moveable and reusable. The use of pre-cast components allows for the materials to be efficiently dismantled, transferred and rebuilt in a new location with ease. A project more than two years in the making, the Lightcatcher was originally slated for construction in 2020, with progress postponed due to the global pandemic. Now, finally, sitting magnificently in its home, MPavilion 2021 is reinvigorating Melbourne’s creative and cultural life. Its playful design, vibrant colour palette and iridescent quality make it a true beacon of joy and hope, evoking a sense delight among all who cross its path.