For the everyday passer-by, the change to the canopy street line is a welcome change. As the sun light bounces off sculptures in through the courtyard and onto the footpath of King Street, a series of unravelling vistas aids to entice the public in and contemplate what is before them.
This compares to the opening night of a new exhibition at this Newtown Art Gallery, where it brings out the theatrics of its upper-class patrons. The patron moves through a modest entry path onto a landing in the cavernous front gallery where they can view (and are viewed by) their social circle below.
The ramp sets a slow pace, ensuring that the entering patron is on display for those which have already arrived, while the upper path of circulation would be considered a better option for one who was there simply to view art rather than than the social theatrics. Here lies the contrast (in architecture's ability to enhance this social behaviour of 'watching') of 'public' and 'private', the displayed and the observer.
The circularity of movement through the gallery is a reflection on human nature's tendency to want to observe, unavoidably paired with the inability to permanently escape the view from the public.
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