Kovac Architecture

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) Melbourne NOW is the largest show NGV has mounted, showcasing contemporary art, architecture, design, performance and cultural practice. Exhibitors were selected based on how they reflected the complex cultural landscape of creative Melbourne. An 'exhibition within the exhibition,' 'Sampling the City: Architecture in Melbourne NOW' was produced by a team of leading local practitioners in architecture, design, graphic design and art: Fleur Watson (curator), Amy Muir and Stuart Geddes (exhibition design), Keith Deverell (projection and soundscape), Michael Spooner (exhibition narrative), and Peter Bennetts (built environment imagery). The exhibition revealed the complex web of personalities, factions and trajectories that make up Melbourne's vibrant contemporary architectural culture. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: The installation and soundscape showcased Kovac Architecture's digital practice architecture based on digital manufacturing technologies and his specific mode of practice with computerised systems - where city, forms and fabrications are producing using digital mediums. Curator Watson described Kovac as an early leader in the advanced stream of design. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: The significance of Kovac Architecture is demonstrated by his inclusion in the narrative of Melbourne's architecture. Curator Watson said the architects featured in 'Sampling the City' convey the diversity and richness of architectural culture in Melbourne and the contribution of architectural practice to the cultural economy of the city. As part of Melbourne NOW, 'Sampling the City' received extensive local, national and international media attention: Architecture Australia 103 (1) (Jan 2014); Architecture and Design (March 2014); e-flux (NY); and Australian Design Review (Nov 2013).