Synthesis Design + Build

Friday Flashback: Melbourne Grand Prix 1996 - This week marks 30 years since the inaugural Melbourne Grand Prix — a time before iPhones, when purchase orders were faxed and the Synthesis team was working around the clock installing displays to bring the excitement of Formula 1 to life.

These two installation images are just a small example of the dozens of in-centre activations we designed, installed, and travelled to launch the Grand Prix in Melbourne. It was grassroots motorsport marketing at its best — hands-on, lots of fun, and unforgettable.

Images: Synthesis (analogue SLR camera, roll of film developed at the local photo shop, 10-day turnaround!)

Science Gallery Melbourne | DISTRACTION plugs into the streaming torrent of content and the places our brains go when we want to focus on anything but *the thing*. You know… the thing you’re supposed to be doing right now?

To support this unique exhibition, the Synthesis team was contracted to complete the built form scope for 512-BIT by Dr Cris Edwards.

The 3m x 3m x 3m room has been designed, engineered, and fabricated as a freestanding, self-supporting structure. The Synthesis production methodology allowed for off-site prefabrication and the ability for the built form foundation to be repurposed at the conclusion of the installation.

Thanks to the Science Gallery Project Team and Curators for entrusting Synthesis with helping to bring DISTRACTION to life.

The exhibition reopens to the public from 17 February 2026 and will run until 2 May.

Exhibition Design:
Images: .photography

Flashback Friday: Curved, carved, and complex ~ Every project leaves lasting memories and enables us to deliver better outcomes for future projects.  The project pictured here was a hand sculptured relief panel installed into a new cinema development in Richmond, Victoria, in the early 2000s.

Today, 25 years later, the design, development, templating, carving, coating, and polishing techniques used in this project remain relevant and are still utilised in our processes. This project presented unique challenges, especially with the intricate curves that needed to align perfectly with the joinery, ceiling, and wall contours. To address this, we developed an innovative templating method, which we incorporated into early 3D CAD/CAM modelling systems. This approach continues to be a vital part of our work, ensuring that we can achieve seamless integration between new and existing complex curved contours.

The final result was an installation that appeared as a single, flawless piece of polished brass.

With each project comes experience and knowledge, we learn about new materials, create new production methods, and work out how to solve problems we didn’t even know we had. As we enter our 37th year in operation, we take pride in the thousands of projects we've successfully completed.

Melbourne Holocaust Museum – Underground: The Hidden Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto ~ Synthesis recently had the privilege of completing the build for Underground, an exhibition of rare artefacts from the hidden archive of the Warsaw Ghetto, on display for the first time outside of Europe.

The Synthesis scope of work encompassed the off-site production of all joinery, including a suite of handcrafted solid timber-framed, free-standing display furniture and forms meticulously assembled without any visible fixings. Once the joinery frames were installed, they were painted and wrapped in fabric. Custom showcases and graphics by Synthesis were then fixed to the joinery, completing the installation of built form. Additionally, lightboxes, free-standing showcases, and display walls were designed, manufactured, and installed by Synthesis to support and complement the exhibition story.

Thank you to the MHM exhibition team for entrusting Synthesis to help bring the exhibition to fruition.

The exhibition is currently on display until 30 March 2025.

For a full list of exhibition credits and further information, please see https://mhm.org.au/underground/

3D Exhibition Design: Space Arrangers
2D Design: Studio Tweed
Build methodology, production design, off-site construction, installation, signage and graphic production, showcases and finishing and photos 4 - 6:

Photographs 1 - 3:

Science Gallery Melbourne | SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed offers fresh insights on science fiction, a genre built on envisioning alternative futures and imaginary realms. The lines connecting science fiction with ancient philosophy and mythologie s are brought to light through the work of Asian and First Nations women artists and collectives.

The Synthesis team was contracted to complete the built form scope for the SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed exhibition including design and development of the engineered 7.5m x 7.5m floor structure and elements to support the Red Silk of Fate installation. Custom LED lighting baffles were created for use throughout the exhibition in addition to semi-circular plinth joinery, a custom seating and display library fixture for the reading zone (complete with old school fat back TV and DVD player) and freestanding, internally illuminated plinths and showcases.  The exhibition built form also included many re-purposed elements of joinery, seating and tables from previous Synthesis exhibition builds and installations at SGM.

Thanks once again to the Science Gallery Project Team and Curators for entrusting Synthesis with helping to bring the Sci-Fi exhibition to life.

The exhibition reopens to the public from 19 Feb 2025.

Exhibition Design: Sibling, Forde + Nicol, Napp Studios
Images 1 & 4 - Matthew Stanton
Images 2, 3 & 5 - Synthesis Design + Build
Images 6 & 7 - Phoebe Powell

Buxton Contemporary Gallery | Assembled Audience Octagon ~ It’s no mean feat to prefabricate free standing, self-supporting engineered structures that meet building codes, Australian standards & fire regulations whilst achieving the design intent of the artist’s vision.

But this is what we do.

As registered builders working to support the arts, Synthesis specialises in developing build methodology to achieve a full project life cycle from material selection and connection methods to repurposing built form at the end of a project, including deinstallation and recycling.  Synthesis takes into account every aspect of compliance, meeting all codes and regulations to keep visitors safe when enjoying museums, galleries and public spaces.

The example pictured here provides a glimpse behind the scenes of the recent build; Assembled Audience at Buxton Contemporary for the artist Taryn Simon’s sound installation.  Audiences have responded with “fear and delight” in the enclosed, pitch-black space.

This is the last week you can experience the same crowd never gathers twice closing on 13 October.

Curated by: Annika Aitken
Exhibition Design:
Build methodology, construction, installation, finishing, and photo: