The ‘Ephemeral Laboratory’ seeks to create a methodology for myself and other practitioners working within the field of ephemeral architecture.

It tests the proposition that a robust armature can be developed to act as a common methodological device in the design, curation and orchestration of a diverse range of temporal engagements with participants and other practitioners within a variety of public realms.

It explores how this framework might redefine the notion of authorship by exploring different models for creative collaboration within a range of contexts – with particular focus on establishing conditions that can encourage outcomes that are unexpected – often going beyond an author’s expectations.

This enquiry draws on my personal practice – a body of work which has departed from the conventional notion of architectural practice over the past ten years to include projects that cut across a range of scales: urban curation; education; design management; installation and social intervention.

Four key and distinct project areas and scales of operation have been identified and critically examined:

- Urban (City)

- Campus (Institution | Corporation)

- Room (Black Box | Gallery)

-Object (Making as Intervention)

This studio investigated ‘pop-up’ and temporal design as a platform to encourage a range of engagements within the public realm. The studio acted as a live laboratory using the RMIT City Campus as a representation of the broader city context of Melbourne. Here we conducted hypothetical and real (1:1 scale) experiments that explored the relationship between the individual, the city and temporal spaces; insertions; overlays and events.

The aim of the studio was to develop a process, language and a conceptual underpinning for a temporal [bottom-up] practice which could be tested in a final project – situated within a commodified or community context within RMIT University. This challenged the Interior Design student to question the social and spatial amenities provided by the educational institution of RMIT University and to feel empowered to offer alternatives within an environment they had assumed was beyond their control.

“In the current debate over the use of public space in cities, temporary uses are seen as tools of empowerment: revealing the possibilities of space.” from Temporary Urban Spaces

The prospect of teaching a design studio within the School of Interior Design at RMIT offered a great opportunity to test the robustness of the creative armature or methodology I had been developing within my practice within a new and pedagogical context. Two timescales of different temporal qualities were apparent in this project – one: the temporal overlay of a teaching strategy for the duration of the semester; and the second: hands-on experiments as teaching tools of a few hours duration.

My role within this context was one of responsibility – establishing outlines, keeping attendance and feedback records and maintaining a right of care – answerable to both the subject coordinator and student expectations.Conceptually, it offered the chance to explore the four shifts in scale (urban, campus, room, object) within my practice and apply them within an intensive 14 week project – in a way, completing the circle – or suite of projects explored within the Ephemeral Laboratory.

It also allowed me to develop teaching tools to impart this design methodology to other designers. The most powerful of these tools was the creation an unfettered zone for play and experimentation via hands-on workshops and the engagement of external practitioners as collaborators to share their knowledge within this context.