Caught Unawares

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RESEARCH BACKGROUND: Minifie and Van Schaik (as principals of MvS Architects) project 'Caught Unawares' is an ironic take on the Sydney Opera House. It transformed one of Australi's most recognisable icons into something new and strange. Their proposal was conceived at a time when the technology to construct it simply didn't exist, but could now be built. In 2013, felix._Giles_Anderson+Goad, the creative team behind Australia's exhibition at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, issued a call out for unbuilt contemporary Australian buildings. MvS' proposal was included in the 11 projects chosen from a large field. In Venice, the projects were realised through three-dimensional augmented models, images, voice-overs and animations. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: 'Caught Unawares' is part of MvS' ongoing research into experimental processes that speculate about architectural ideas and effects. The project contributed to the Australian Pavilion's theme on 'absorbing modernity,' which centralised the histories and fundamentals that were responsible for the evolution of national architectures over the past 100 years. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: The significance of 'Caught Unawares' is demonstrated by its selection for inclusion in the 2014 Venice Archiecture Beinnale's Augmented Australia exhibition. The Venice Biennale is the world's premier architecture exhibition and the 'Augmented' show is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, Architecture Media and major industry partners. The project was first reviewed by Andrew Wilson in the professional journal Architecture Australia in 1998. In 2013-2014, it was further published as part of the Venice Architecture Biennale coverage in Architecture Australia, Green magazine, Australian Design Review, Architecture and Design magazine, ArchDaily, INDaily and Australian Design Alliance. It was also featured in the Augmented Australia exhibition catalogue, reviewed by Professor Richard Blythe.