Latest news with #TheShed
7NEWS
4 days ago
- General
- 7NEWS
'Technical mastery and social awareness': Winners of the 2025 Tasmanian Architecture Awards
Technical mastery and deep social awareness were the key components showcased in this year's Tasmanian Architecture Awards. Held annually, The Australian Institute of Architects announced the winners of the 2025 awards at a celebration in Launceston. Across the 10 categories, a variety of distinct projects were awarded including a Richmond vineyard's tasting room, Glenorchy Ambulance Station, an exemplary coastal home and a boldly coloured childcare centre. Jury Chair for the 2025 Tasmanian Architecture Awards, Sarah Lindsay, said this year's projects sparked "rich and thought-provoking conversations". Lindsay went on to say the winners touched on important and timely themes including "sustainable forestry practices, trauma-informed design, education pedagogies, and the urgent housing crisis." "These discussions reminded us of the profound role architecture plays in shaping not just our built environment, but our collective future," she said. In a statement, the jury said the projects demonstrated that Tasmania's architects understood "how our built environment intersects with climate resilience, social inclusion, and cultural continuity." "Across all scales and typologies, we witnessed a consistent dedication to enhancing the human experience and enriching the fabric of our communities," the statement read. Two projects were each recipients of three awards. The Shed, University of Tasmania by Wardle, took out the awards for Educational Architecture and Interior Architecture, and a commendation for Sustainable Architecture. Notes from the jury commended The Shed on its ability to "elevate educational environments through spatial generosity, environmental responsibility, and a deep connection to place." Tolpuddle Tasting Room by Tanner Architects won theCommercial Architecture and the EmAGN Project Awards, and received a commendation for Sustainable Architecture. The jury said the project exemplified "a refined and disciplined approach to commercial architecture, achieving balance between agricultural authenticity and architectural sophistication." On the residential side, Jordan House by Preston Lane was awarded for Residential Architecture - Houses (Alterations and Additions) and received a commendation for the Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture. Of the project, the jury said Preston Lane has created a "deliberate separation between the addition and the original rear facade, together with a restrained material palette, has enabled the careful reconstruction of heritage elements, offering a moment of pause to appreciate the historic dwelling in its entirety." Stunning coastal home Nebraska by Lara Maeseele received the award for Residential Architecture - Houses (New). The jury were impressed by the project's "careful arrangement of five bedrooms that supports communal holiday living while maintaining a sense of intimacy and retreat." The Tasmanian Architecture Awards 2025 winners: COLORBOND Award for Steel Architecture Award for Commercial Architecture Award for Educational Architecture Glenorchy Ambulance Station - Morrison & Breytenbach Architects Award for Heritage Phillip Smith Centre - Lovell Chen Award for Interior Architecture Commendation Nebraska - Lara Maeseele Award for Residential Architecture - Multiple Housing Commendation Allunga Road Multi - Preston Lane Award for Small Project Architecture Commendation Chroma Tunnel - Room 11 Architects Award for Sustainable Architecture Commendation Tolpuddle Tasting Room - TANNER ARCHITECTS The St Lukes Building - TERRIOR The Shed, University of Tasmania - Wardle Phillip Smith Centre - Lovell Chen Award for Enduring Architecture Henty House - Peter Partridge (Department of Housing and Construction) The EmAGN Project Award Tolpuddle Tasting Room - TANNER ARCHITECTS Emerging Architect Prize Elizabeth Walsh RAIA & Alex Nielsen RAIA - So. Architecture SWT Blythe Student Prize Asyndeton - Pei Kai Tan
Fast Company
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Inside the making of Punchdrunk's new immersive ‘gothic fairytale'
'Shhhh,' Helena Bonham Carter is whispering in my ear. 'Let me tell you a story, from long, long ago.' I am lying on a mattress in a wallpapered bedroom that seems plucked from the 1990s. There are Keith Haring drawings, Tori Amos posters, and a shelf-full of teddy bears. Bonham Carter's voice, coming in through a headset, is talking about a princess named Viola. Her voice—spectral, beguiling—is about to guide me through a dizzying dreamscape of mazes and dark corridors, and it's all part of a spectacular new show by Punchdrunk. Until now, the British theater company has been known for its highly immersive productions like Sleep No More and The Burnt City. A Punchdrunk performance typically encourages spectators to roam freely and interact with masked actors who might whisk you into a cupboard or slip a note into your hand. But Viola's Room, staged inside The Shed in New York City, marks a departure from this model: There is only one prescribed path. And instead of interacting with masked actors, you are the actor. 'What Punchdrunk is all about is a physical activation of the body. It's about putting the audience at the center,' Punchdrunk's founder, Felix Barrett, told me. 'If you're stood up, and you are having to make decisions, or you're having to deal with a perceived threat, suddenly the flood of adrenaline sends all your blood to your skin.' 'Follow the light' Viola's Room was adapted from a 1901 gothic mystery story by the English horror writer Barry Pain. The Punchdrunk version was written by Booker Prize short-listed author Daisy Johnson, and it follows the story of Princess Viola, who leaves the safety of her home and ventures into a shadowy dream world where her sense of self begins to dissolve. Of all the stories Punchdrunk has crafted, this one is Barrett's favorite. 'There's something about it, where the atmosphere is so thick, and it's because it's so controlled,' he says. Barrett staged an early version of Viola's Room back in 2000. Then called The Moon Slave, it took place inside a 13-acre walled garden, where spectators were guided by staff holding burning torches. When the team revived the show (it first ran in London in 2024), they had to rethink how to replicate the concept indoors. Barrett wanted something ephemeral, 'like the ghost of Helena taking you by the hand,' he says, and he eventually landed on fiber-optic lights the size of a grain of barley. (Standard LEDs were too bright.) Spectators are now guided through the space by a synchronized mix of Bonham Carter's voice and more than 1,500 individual light fixtures concealed inside woolly gray clusters designed to resemble tiny, stormy clouds. Every light is an invitation to move forward through the sinuous set: If a lamp lights up, you walk toward it. If it doesn't, you stay put. At times, I found myself in complete darkness, without so much as an exit sign lurking in a corner. Barrett says enough visitors in London got spooked that they decided to assure people at The Shed that there are no jump scares. To further amp the senses, visitors are invited to experience the show barefoot, and every room is bathed in a custom scent. 'When you're light-deprived, all other senses kick in,' says Alex Poots, the artistic director and CEO of The Shed. These moments of pitch black called for special permission from local authorities, as total darkness goes against U.S. fire codes. Poots says Viola's Room is one of a few shows in America that's gotten permission to go complete black, and he notes that a team backstage monitors spectators via a bevy of infrared cameras and can intervene within a minute of a fire alarm sounding. A fairytale in Manhattan Viola's Room is an intimate affair designed for a maximum of six people. (People with wheelchairs can book private visits to experience the show, which is fully ADA accessible.) I visited on a clammy Tuesday evening. Outside, Manhattan was gearing up for happy hour. People were sipping Aperol spritzes, and tourists were traipsing up and down the High Line. Inside, I felt like I'd stepped into a fairytale gone wrong. The set design, by Barrett and Casey Jay Andrews, contributed to the realism. Barrett started by drawing the 'shape of the show' on a piece of paper—a line, a square, a line, a square—before adding layers of texture, a bit like a painting. To visualize the whole thing, he then worked with a team of model makers who spent months making copies of each room, then lighting them from within. For Viola's teenage bedroom, Barrett drew inspiration from his younger brother's bedroom and stuffed it with '90s ephemera he sourced from vintage shops and markets around London. Elsewhere, corridors narrowed under flickering lights. Closets opened into secret rooms. A miniature tree encased in jelly later came back as a giant tree towering over an entire room. With nowhere else to go but straight, the experience doesn't allow for any meandering, but the curious mind will be rewarded with 'treats' or easter eggs the team peppered throughout the show. (The jelly-encased tree is one of them). 'I'm a real believer that as long as one person finds it, it's absolutely valid,' Barrett says. 'In fact, if one person finds something that no one else does, then it's their gift. It's their discovery.' The show is on view through October 19.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Where are the Hemsworths? Chris and Elsa have not been seen together in weeks as they take separate trips away despite both being in Europe
and Elsa Pataky appear to be making the most of their European summers separately. The Thor star, 41, and the Spanish actress, 48, haven't been pictured together in weeks as they enjoyed separate trips away. Chris shared a post to Instagram last month which featured a series of snaps from a beachside escape in Hossegor, France with his longtime personal trainer and best mate Luke Zocchi. His parents Leonie and Craig also joined him on the relaxing getaway. Chris' wife Elsa enjoyed her own holiday in her native Spain, also posting several snaps to Instagram just days later. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, . They were pictured together one week prior to their holidays as they supported their son Sasha at his surfing competition in Byron Bay. The Hemsworths have made Byron Bay their home in recent years, and the actor has frequently shared glimpses of their laid-back, surf-filled lifestyle on social media. The couple purchased their sprawling 4.2-hectare estate in Byron Bay back in 2014 for $7million, eventually constructing a $50million mega mansion on the site. The property features six bedrooms, a spa, games and media rooms as well as sprawling outdoor living areas. Chris recently revealed a new addition to the sprawling property - a lavish home gym. The Thor star created a state-of-the-art training facility called The Shed for his fitness brand, Centr, which was unveiled in January. Speaking to Hemsworth's personal trainer and business partner, Luke Zocchi, explained that the facility serves as a space for Centr trainers to test new workouts and equipment while also having fun. 'It's definitely next level,' Zocchi said. They were pictured together one week prior to their holidays as they supported their son Sasha at his surfing competition in Byron Bay 'Chris made sure to include the latest and greatest Centr equipment in the gym.' He mentioned that much of the equipment at The Shed -which includes treadmills, cable machines, weight benches, and power racks - is currently unavailable in Australia. 'Some of the equipment isn't available in Australia yet, but will be soon,' Zocchi revealed. 'It's where Chris, the boys, and I can come through for a session, or we can just chill and recover when we need to. 'It's a place to really get after it or reset, depending on what we need.'
Vogue
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
I Survived ‘Viola's Room,' a Spooky New Immersive Show Narrated by Helena Bonham Carter
The real world is plenty scary right now. Forget turning on some gruesome horror movie: reading the daily headlines is enough to make just about anyone scream. All the same, I couldn't resist doubling down on the fear factor and checking out an eerie, immersive new art experience that opened in New York City this week. On through October at The Shed, the show, titled Viola's Room, is directed by Felix Barrett and produced by Punchdrunk, the award-winning theater company behind Sleep No More. An interactive, hour-long journey, it has guests weave barefoot through a labyrinth of darkened rooms and halls (by designer Casey Jay Andrews), while a delightfully spooky Helena Bonham Carter narrates a fable, based on the 1901 story The Moon Slave by Barry Pain, through provided headphones. Even with no live actors or jump scares, it makes for an intensely effective—even somewhat poetic—haunted-house experience. Guests walk through Viola's Room. Photo: Marc J. Franklin When I arrived for my prescribed time slot, I was surprised to find that there was only one other brave soul in my group. (Viola's Room is designed to be experienced by no more than six people at a time.) Our instructions were simple enough: do not lose sight of each other, and follow the flickering lights from space to space. (I was more than happy to let my partner lead the way.) In the first space—a teenage girl's bedroom, its walls adorned with Tori Amos and Buffy the Vampire Slayer posters—Carter instructs us to lie down as she begins to tell the gothic tale of a princess who disappears from her castle, abandons her prince, and mysteriously journeys into the night. In time, the room around us was plunged into darkness, the only light coming from inside a blanketed fort in the corner. When, skeptically, we crawled into that fort, we immediately entered into a brand-new space: a maze of hallways lined with ghostly, draped white sheets. As Carter's narration goes on, she describes the princess's descent into an enchanted and ominous forest—just as we, too, were taken through ever more otherworldly settings. Walking barefoot, we traversed terrains that felt alternately grassy, sandy, and like concrete, our surroundings ranging from a forest landscape to a high-ceilinged chapel featuring stained-glass windows suffused with a foggy light. Another room with a giant dinner table had balloons lining the ceiling, though in the darkness their strings felt more like vines, or even spiderwebs.
Irish Daily Mirror
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Just the tonic: Five tasty cocktail recipes to celebrate World Gin Day
It's World Gin Day and top mixologist Oisin Davis is sharing his gin cocktails to mark the occasion. Gin Day is the second Saturday in June, and is held to appreciate its history and culture. Cocktail expert and drinks aficionado Oisin explains: 'There are spicy gins that are great for martinis, herbal gins that are best served with tonic, and fruitier gins that work really well in long refreshing summer coolers. 'Pick up an Irish gin if you can - we have such an incredible range and variety of gin distilleries here.' Gin has become a big trend in recent years. Celebrity gin makers include Snoop Dogg, Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt. Premium Irish gin has continued to grow, going from a handful of distilleries to more than 50 nationwide. One of the standouts is the excellent Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish gin, made in its Leitrim distillery, The Shed. Gin originated in the 11th century, when Italian monks used juniper berries to flavour distilled spirits. However, Holland is credited as its birthplace, with William of Orange introducing it to his subjects in the 17th century. London later became a gin-making epicentre. This weekend, food and drink festival Taste will also raise a glass to World Gin Day, with distillery forager Geraldine Kavanagh hosting Glendalough Distillery's masterclass experience. Here, Oisin shares his best recipes... INGREDIENTS: 35ml Irish gin; 100ml premium tonic water; 1 teaspoon of white sugar; 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice; 1 glass of ice (use the glass you're gonna serve the drink in) METHOD: Pour the gin, lemon juice, sugar and tonic water into a NutriBullet or kitchen blender, put the lid on and blitz it for about 5 seconds. Then take the lid off, lash in the ice and get the lid back on again. Blitz one more time but literally only for 2-3 seconds. You want the consistency of a slushie. If you blitz it for too long it will liquify the ice. Pour into your glass and serve with a straw. INGREDIENTS: 50ml of Irish gin (try Gunpowder, Dingle or Method & Madness); 1 tablespoon of lemon juice; 1/2 tablespoon of sugar; 1 tablespoon of hot water; 2 tablespoons of cream; 1 tablespoon of egg white; 100 ml of Club Orange METHOD: Pour the gin, sugar, water and lemon into the blender. Put the lid on and blitz. Take the lid off and pour in the cream, egg white and 3-4 ice cubes. Put the lid on again and blitz for 20 seconds. Pour into a long Collins or Slim Jim glass and slowly top it up with the Club Orange. Garnish with an orange wedge on the glass and serve with a straw. INGREDIENTS: 1 x 700ml bottle of Bertha's Revenge Irish Gin; 175ml of fresh lime juice; 4 tablespoons of white sugar; 1.5 litres of sparkling water. METHOD: The amount of juice a lime can produce can vary. To get the required amount of lime juice may require up to 10 limes but it should be about 6. Juice them into a large jug, then add the sugar, gin and 100ml of water. Using a soup blender, blitz all the ingredients together for about 30 seconds. Strain the mixture into a swing-top bottle, label it. For each serve, give the bottle a quick shake and fill a slim jim/long glass with ice and pour in 70ml of the gin mix and top it with sparkling water. Garnish with a lime wheel. YIELD: 14 x 70ml serves. It will keep for about 2 weeks in your fridge. After you've opened it, use it within a couple of days but keep it in your fridge as the lime will start to fade. INGREDIENTS: 500ml Ornabrak Single Malt Gin; 160ml lemon juice; 120ml Irish honey syrup METHOD: Pour in 100ml of honey into a jug and top it up with 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Stir for about 10 seconds before adding the gin and lemon juice. Add in 220ml water and blitz it all up with a soup blender. You then decant it into a swing-top bottle. Label it and get it cool in the fridge. When you fancy one, shake up the bottle and pour out 100ml into a martini glass and garnish with lemon peel. If you want it even colder, you can always serve it on the rocks, or if you have a thirst, pour 100ml into a long glass and top it up with 100ml of water. YIELD: 10 serves of 100ml each. It will stay good for a month in your fridge and once it's opened, finish it within a week but store it in your fridge. Roisin Murphy is headlining at the Beyond The Pale festival tonight in Wicklow, so mix this cocktail I made in her honour. INGREDIENTS: 25ml Blackwater Wexford Strawberry Gin; 1.5 teaspoons of sugar syrup; 2 teaspoons of fresh lime juice and 100ml of dry prosecco. A fresh Wexford strawberry to garnish. METHOD: Chill a champagne glass or coupe glass with ice. Place the gin, juice and syrup into a 500ml Kilner jar. Throw in some ice and seal it shut. Shake it hard for about seconds. Remove the ice from the glass. Open up the Kilner jar slightly and strain the cocktail into the glass. Top it up with the prosecco. Put a little sliver in the bottom of your Wexford strawberry and place it on the side of your glass. All recipes are from Irish Kitchen Cocktails, published by Nine Bean Rows. Photography by Joanne Murphy and styling by Orla Neligan.
