Melbourne-based architects Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang have installed a small scale of The Parthenon clad in different hues of colors and murals within the Grollo Equiset Garden at Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Australia. 

The installation, called Temple of Boom, emerges as "an evocative reimagination of The Parthenon", a global architectural icon and an Ancient Greek temple located on the Acropolis, Athens. 

Aerial view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne from 22 November 2022 – August 2023. Photography © NGV

Designed as part of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)'s Architecture Commission, the designers reinterpreted the temple by looking at its different aspects and presence on how it "simultaneously expanded our understanding of the iconic Parthenon building and the enduring beauty it emanates."

Temple of Boom can be visited at NVG's Grollo Equiset Garden from 22 November 2022 to October 2023, entrance is free for the installation. 

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Moreover, taking its name from the vibrations of music, the installation will act as a community meeting place and an outdoor venue hosting a diverse program of performances, programs and music across the summer period.

Newman and Tsang, who are the architects of NWMN, created a third scale of the original building to invite audiences and visitors to consider the effect of time on all architecture. 

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

The installation is gradually transformed with large-scale artworks and murals painted by local artists in three phases between November 2022 and August 2023.

Newman and Tsang draw inspiration from the colourful and artistic embellishments that once covered the original building over two- thousand years ago.

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Based on these historical references, dynamic and eye-catching floral motifs and optical illusions, designed by contemporary artists Drez, Manda Lane, and David Lee Pereira, wrap the installation. 

Drez is a multidisciplinary artist based in Melbourne who uses colour and form to play with perspective. Drawing inspiration from art historical perspectives, including the Greenbergian Modernism and Op-Art schools, Drez’s work creates an intersection between abstract art and street art. 

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

For this installation, Drez has created a boldly colourful mural that changes composition when viewed from different angles.

Collingwood-based muralist, illustrator and paper-based artist Manda Lane has a keen focus on botanicals, and her art explores the interactions between the natural world and industrial or man-made objects. 

In this mural installation, Lane has depicted various growth behaviours of plants, creating a visual metaphor for personal expression and growth.

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

The final artist is visual artist David Lee Pereira, whose works explore the fluidity of gender, sexuality and identity. 

Influenced by the work of impressionist and surrealist artists Georgia O’Keefe, Salvador Dali and Edvard Munch, Pereira has adorned the structure with large-than-life floral motifs that draw attention to nature’s flamboyant use of scent and colour to allure pollinators.

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

"One of the most famous examples of classical architecture, The Parthenon in Athens is often viewed as a potent symbol of Western art and culture," said Tony Ellwood AM, Director of the NGV. 

"This thought-provoking work by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang invites us to consider how we create and imbue architecture with meaning, as well as how this meaning can shift across time periods and cultures," Ellwood added.

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

At the heart of the installation Henry Moore’s 1958 sculpture, Draped seated woman, bronze statue is situated. 

Visitors are invited to engage with a program of panel discussions, performances, and a VR experience transporting visitors to The Parthenon and allowing them to walk virtually around the Acropolis in Greece - in which all program activities are presented in partnership with the Hellenic Museum Melbourne. 

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

NGV also stated that the historical and cultural significance of the Parthenon and its continuing resonance for the Greek diaspora will be celebrated with further programming across the nine-month installation.

Weekly from 16 December to 14 April, some of Melbourne’s best DJs will also perform as part of the return of NGV Friday Nights this summer.

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy

Aerial view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © NGV

The NGV Architecture Commission is an annual series, which began in 2016, invites Australian architects to create a work of site-specific, ephemeral architecture for the NGV Garden. 

The NGV Architecture Commission Design Competition process is developed and delivered by CityLab.

Top image: Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang on display at NGV International, Melbourne. Photography © Sean Fennessy.

All images © Sean Fennessy unless otherwise stated. 

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