100+100 AN ESSENTIAL PLACE : A PLACE OF ENDURING QUALITIES

100+100 will provide a snapshot of Canberra in its 100^th year.  It will investigate, distil and help people see the potential our city holds.  It will talk to the people of Canberra, to reveal spaces and places that exemplify the essential and enduring qualities of a city founded on the ideals of democracy – a city shaped by innovative and experimental urban planning and architecture.

100+100 is an invitation to discover and experience the city’s enduring qualities and from that, shape our city over the next 100 years.

100+100 SHINING THE LIGHT EXHIBITIONS

The Centenary of Canberra is an opportunity for all Australians to explore the suburbs and the city to see how it has grown over the last 100 years.  Exploring Canberra will reveal the many waves of innovative architectural thought – including changes in urban design – that have shaped the city.

By shining a light on models of architectural and urban design embedded in the city and tapping into the community’s experiences, 100+100 re-captures and re-news the understanding of the experimentation and innovation present in the city.

Four 100+100 Shining the Light Exhibitions will be staged as part of the Australian Institute of Architects collaboration with Canberra Lab’s ‘Centenary Pop-up’ activity hubs, the University of Canberra, Faculty of Arts and Design ‘Through the Lens’ mapping study and the Gallery of Australian Design.

The 100+100 Shining the Light Exhibitions, each with a specific theme will ‘shine a light’ on the richness of Canberra’s architecture over the past 100 years and assist with a more informed and imaginative public conversation about the shape our city will take over the next 100 years.
The first three 100+100 Shining the Light Exhibitions will be located within the ‘Centenary Pop-up’, a temporary structure created by Canberra Lab that will provide a central point for people to engage with the stories of their city. The 100+100 Shining the Light Exhibitions will reveal the essential and enduring qualities of the city, specifically those founded on innovative and experimental architecture and urban planning.

The final 100+100 Shining the Light Exhibition, held at the Gallery of Australian Design, will bring all the explorations, experiences and conversations together providing an illuminating snap shot of Canberra in its 100th year. This final exhibition will also present the architectural community’s imaginings of how our city may look in the future – a useful and inspirational pointer to the next 100 years of this innovative and experimental city.

Dates and Venues

100+100 Shining the Light Exhibition 1: Canberra Architecture in the Landscape – January – March 2013 as part of the Canberra Lab Centenary Pop-Up. 

100+100 Shining the Light Exhibition 2: Canberra Architecture in the Making – April – June 2013 as part of the Canberra Lab Centenary Pop-Up. 

100+100 Shining the Light Exhibition 3: Canberra Architecture Reflections On – July – Sept 2013 as part of the Canberra Lab Centenary Pop-Up. 

100+100 Shining the Light Exhibition 4: Canberra Architecture Looking to the Future – Oct – Dec 2013 at The Gallery of Australian Design. 

100+100 CANBERRA IN FIGURE-GROUND

The centenary year is an ideal time to get closer to Canberra and explore its legacy of innovation in design.  A large scale 2D figure ground graphic of the city of Canberra in its built and un-built relationship of spaces and places will be developed.  This figure ground will feature in the media throughout the Centennial year, enticing the Canberra community to creatively engage with the places and spaces of the city.   A series of interpretive overlays will capture this creative engagement in the ‘Through the Lens’ mappings.  100+100 will draw us in to see and feel the city in a different way making us better equipped to shape our city over the next 100 years.

100+100 LIVING IN OUR CITY TOURS

What better way is there to really understand the essential and enduring qualities of our city than experiencing them first hand? Examples of innovative, experimental and sustainable buildings, places and spaces will feature in self-guided tours of the city, providing pointers to the form and quality of our future city.

Curated by the local architectural community the 100+100 Living In Our City Tours, each with a specific theme will showcase innovative, experimental and sustainable buildings, places and spaces that exemplify and promote good design. Linked with the ‘100+100 Shining the Light Exhibitions’, the tours will open a public conversation about the exemplars presented in the exhibition and provide the community with the opportunity to experience them first hand.

An informative commentary will accompany each 100+100 Living In Our City Tour, giving a rare chance to explore and discover the richness of Canberra’s architecture over the past 100 years and assist with a more informed and imaginative conversation about the shape our city will take over the next 100 years. Some of the tours will highlight examples of Canberra’s most environmentally sustainable buildings, including different types of housing, providing tangible reference points for future discussions.

Dates and tour topics will be available from the Australian Institute of Architects website from January 2013.

THROUGH THE LENS is an interpretive mapping study that will be undertaken in partnership with theUniversity of Canberra, Faculty of Arts and Design. It will focus on seeing Canberra through the lens of its essential and enduring qualities - as a place of inherent spatial attributes and lived qualities. Still a ‘city in the making’, these studies will reveal the evolving spaces valued by the community as places of cultural and creative engagement.  It will re-invoke Griffin’s ideal of innovation and a city designed to be 'like no other'.

The Australian Achievement in Architecture Awards will take place at the Australian War Memorial on 21 March.  At the National Gallery of Australia, the Contemporary Architect Speaker Series will be held during the month of September and the Walter Burley Griffin Memorial Lecture on the 31 October.

For more information visit www.architecture.com.au

100+100 is a Centenary of Canberra project presented by the ACT Chapter of Australian Institute of Architects. 

Credits:

Creative Team Co-directors: Bronwen Jones, Ann Cleary, Sheila Hughes, Agnieszka Liso
ACT Chapter President: Tony Trobe 
Principal Partner: University of Canberra Faculty of Arts and Design