551 Laboratory
551 is the laboratory of Andrew Maynard—a space for thoughts, experiments, and play, unencumbered by linear thought, with no purpose other than to explore random ideas.
Sometimes the outcomes relate directly to his architectural practice, but mostly, they do not. Ideas often emerge subconsciously across the page, often resulting in something delightfully juvenile. This space represents the hidden, inner workings of the mind. The key difference? People can peer right in. This public gaze creates a beautifully uneasy tension. Thoughts, explorations, and play that were once safely hidden within the closed pages of a sketchbook are now visible to the outside world. Does knowing there is a transient audience change the way the work is created? Andrew hopes not (…but it does).
Currently you will see….
Cyclops George (Orwell)
We’ve become blind to the mass surveillance around us. Who is watching, and what do they do with their recordings? Only George knows.
The Sketch Roll - Andrew has spent much of his life squirrelling away thoughts and ideas in sketchbooks. These explorations have often felt lost, as they hide within their pages. Andrew sought a way of having his thoughts spilled out in the open where they could be as grand or as small as he wanted. More importantly they interact with each other rather than disappearing from view.
Legacy sketchbooks - Andrew revisits sketchbooks from as early as 1994, the year that he began studying architecture at the University of Tasmania. At the time he spent much of his time skateboarding, drawing and reading comics. His sketchbooks reflect his studies and interests. Recently Andrew has been revisiting his sketchbooks and selecting one sketch to replicate as a small sculpture.