melbourne's 2 girls building spans a photographic skin along its façade

melbourne’s 2 girls building spans a photographic skin along its façade
image by peter clarke / courtesy of anthea polson art

within melbourne’s urban center, the ‘2 girls building’ overlaps the disciplines of fine art, photography and architecture, using the structural qualities of the site to both interact with passersby and introduce a dynamic contrast to the surrounding setting. australian photographer samantha everton collaborated with local practice KUD architects in the mixed-use building’s realization, working together to fuse their own creative fields into a habitable, contemporary space.

spanning the length of the buildings façade is an everton’s artwork ‘masquerade’ — a photograph from her ‘vintage dolls’ series that sees two girls in a domestic setting synonymous with a traditional, inner-city landscape. the image on glass forms a living skin on the building exterior, embossed into concrete patterned to mimic the wallpapered backdrop of the photo. a third dimension is created by a three-storey tall lamp structure that projects out from the site, with the light in the lampshade illuminating at night.

the building introduces a dynamic contrast to the surrounding setting
image by peter clarke / courtesy of KUD architects

the entirety of the ‘2 girls building’ is a work of art: corridor walls are lined with selected imagery from contemporary photographic artists, while the primary circulation space doubles as a gallery dividing the offices, warehouse spaces and apartments. ‘architecture becomes photography, photography becomes architecture and the building becomes a hybrid urban artefact within the built environment.’ KUD architects’ team describe. everton elaborates, ‘the ability to marry an image so well into a real building, interacting with its features and the people who will live there really brings it to life. every artist ultimately creates their artwork for people to enjoy and this is a wonderful opportunity to share my work with a whole new audience’.

exterior view from the school across the road
image by peter clarke / courtesy of anthea polson art

spanning the length of the buildings façade is an everton’s artwork ‘masquerade’
image by peter clarke / courtesy of KUD architects

the ‘2 girls building’ overlaps the disciplines of fine art, photography and architecture
image by peter clarke / courtesy of anthea polson art

the concrete exterior is patterned with a wallpapered texture
image by peter clarke / courtesy of anthea polson art

a three-storey tall lamp structure projects out from the site
image by peter clarke / courtesy of anthea polson art

the primary circulation space doubles as a gallery dividing the offices, warehouse spaces and apartments
image by peter clarke / courtesy of KUD architects

corridor walls are lined with selected imagery from contemporary photographic artists
image by peter clarke / courtesy of anthea polson art