MPavilion, Australia’s premier architecture commission created by Naomi Milgrom, annually hosts world-renowned architects to design a pavilion in Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne. For its tenth anniversary, Tadao Ando, a leading Japanese architect, was selected.
Ando’s pavilion features a striking aluminium-clad disc supported by a central column, creating a space reminiscent of a traditional Japanese garden. Inside, a reflecting pool occupies half the space, with openings framing views of Melbourne and the parklands.
The Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild was invited as part of the MPavilion design festival to create utilitarian picnic quilts inspired by Ando’s pavilion. Studio Ongarato provided a colour palette, and guild member Tara Glastonbury collaborated with them and MPavilion’s producer Paul Duboc to finalise the design brief and manage the project on behalf of the guild.
Using at least four colours from a specified palette of five – peach, mustard, red, cream, and dark eggplant – each quilt had to measure 150cm x 150cm and include two of three shapes: square, circle, or rectangle.
The brief was posted to our Facebook group, generating nearly 30 entries in just ten days. The submissions were anonymised, sent to MPavilion and judged by the staff. The top 16 designs were selected for production.
Guild members Angela Finn, Anne Boundy, Caroline Hadley, Cherry Montgomery, Denise Shearer, Glenda Piddington, Lisa Dennis, Merran Fryer, Simone Symonds, Tamara Stunnell, Tania Tanti and Tara Glastonbury quickly calculated their fabric requirements and got to work – collaborating via a dedicated Facebook group to share progress and support.
The quilts were completed within a tight three-month timeline, from design to delivery to MPavilion, where they were initially used as event seating due to inclement weather in November. By summer, the quilts also became popular for visitors to use on the grass. Seeing them enjoyed as part of the festival was immensely satisfying for us.
After the season ended in March, the Naomi Milgrom Foundation acquired the quilts, ensuring their preservation and ongoing appreciation.
Participating in the MPavilion project was a significant opportunity for the Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild, showcasing our work in a prestigious setting and expanding the cultural relevance of quilting beyond traditional boundaries.
