Royal Exhibition Building Sylph of Spring

A huge 26-metre tall piece of artwork, the iconic and beautiful Sylph of Spring, is being displayed on the side of the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne thanks to the work of Mesh Direct.

Background

Last year, Museums Victoria was granted government funding for a rooftop deck giving 360-degree views of the Melbourne skyline from the 1880 built landmark. The Exhibition Building would, therefore, undergo renovations in early 2019.

However, Museums Victoria wanted to create something extraordinary which would create beauty rather than an eyesore while temporary scaffolding was up and renovations were underway.

They approached Mesh Direct, a company with the view to work together to create something spectacular for the facade of the Royal Exhibition Building. They wanted the best way to convey their images and ideas onto a giant canvas for maximum visual impact.

The Solution

The Sylph of Spring, a magnificent painting found inside the walls of the dome was selected to transform the 26-meter canvas. Mesh Direct’s in-house design team reworked the piece of art, preparing it to be printed on their premium building wrap Banner Mesh. Mesh Direct and Museums Victoria worked closely together to ensure the artwork was coherent across all aspects of the project. Mesh Direct ensured that the saturation quality of the image was perfect.

“Unbelievably helpful and responsive, the Mesh Direct team understood the importance of ‘getting it right’ for this Melbourne icon.” – Bronwen Sewell, Communications & Stakeholder Advisor Royal Exhibition Building

Once the artwork was completed and approved, Mesh Direct moved their attention to advising how best to install the building wrap. The unique shape of the building and the wrap meant a good installation was key to ensure artwork properly aligned. Zips helped ensure the artwork spanned across the whole area seamlessly and pockets were fixed to firmly secure the artwork in place.

The Result

The project went with flying colours thanks to the experience and expertise of Mesh Direct.

The result was a stunning success.

“I honestly never thought it was possible to create something so extraordinary over scaffolding.” – Bronwen

It’s not too late to catch a glimpse of the Sylph of Spring if you’re in Melbourne. The artwork will be displayed on the side of the building until the end of the year. It’s one not to miss.

If you would like to find out how to make your project ideas a reality, get in contact with our team today.