NGV Architecture Commission: (This is) Air

The NGV 2023 Architecture Commission is a poignant large-scale outdoor installation that makes the invisible visible. (This is) Air, developed by Nic Brunsdon in collaboration with ENESS, draws attention to one of the universal and defining features of life on earth: breathing air.

Utilising air as a building material, (This is) Air takes form as a large sphere structure, set within the NGV Garden. It will morph and change throughout the day as it expands and then releases air in a natural rhythm.

A contemplative study of air and time, the fully inflated spherical form will stand more than fourteen metres tall, evoking a sense of uplifting optimism. Throughout the day, the structure will ‘exhale’, releasing gusts of air as it transforms into an array of cloud-like configurations, before filling to capacity once more. By making air seen, heard and felt, the work highlights our connection to and dependency on air – a finite resource whose quality is becoming increasingly affected.