Initially I was inspired by the difficulty residents and users of a space have in influencing the zoning and development of land owned by council. The Howard Smith Wharves was set aside as public parklands but recent council zoning changes and development proposals did not honour this. Involvement in protesting developments is often see outside government buildings such us Parliament House but no where in the city is there a place for the community to gather to submit there opinions, discuss their thoughts and lodge petitions without being in the public eye. My follie was an adaptive, interactive monument to this process of free speak without judgement or commitment.
Further development into a more informal and intermediate method of interactions between government and the public lead to the creation of a space that allowed for easy broadcasting of ideas, with lecture theatres adaptive to community programs, display areas and a lounge with a tag wall and wi-fi access. At this stage the issues of the suitability for this political program became obvious the surrounding area had no roots in government and without a close connection to the physical symbols of our government the program would be less successful than the protests outside Parliament House.
My research had illustrated the value in a less formal program for the community to learn about developments being embarked upon as well as the need for free speak and exposure to new influences. A large proportion of involvement in community drives for social and cultural change was made up by students, university students in particular. From this I crafted a program providing free access to services usually reserved for tertiary students.
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