Quadrangle Circle work was installed at the Abbotsford Convent Melbourne, Victoria. Before being turned into an art space in the 1990s, thousands of girls and women were placed in care at the Convent, with many residing there for many years while laboring in the onsite laundry. While charitable institutions such as this provided critically needed shelter, food and education in the absence of state care the Abbotsford Convent was also an arbitrator of discipline for Melbourne’s wayward and ‘difficult’ women and girls. It’s original buildings including the historical quadrangle complex still embody the principles of of order and authority typical of such 19th century institutions of correction, treatment and confinement.
In my personal opinion, I believe there is a satisfying conversation to be played out between the severe features of Neo-classical architecture, severe formal gardens and the counterpoint of playful abstract designs cast across carefully manicured turf.