Melanie Quach

Contemporary public art gallery set in Nuffield Lane, Newmarket

Present Voices investigates the power of contemporary galleries as spaces that democratise access to viewing, displaying, and purchasing art; as a form of manaakitanga (care) towards youth artists, as well as protest from commercial consumption.

Contextualised by Newmarket's focus on consumption, Present Voices centers itself on the idea of creation over consumption, and the power of this notion in spaces of protest, conversation and thought. Intentionally contrasting traditional gallery spaces, Present Voices was designed around an idea I coined as 'Visual Protest' – visualising conceptual thinking around protest and resistance from consumption literally, designing spaces that contrast typical approaches to retail and gallery design. Although conceptualised as a form of protest, Present Voices also shows how creation and consumption can co–exist, creating productive outcomes for both commercial businesses, but also the interest of the public.