The Cubes Are Coming!

Birrarung Marr is about to be transformed. For one week the peaceful riverside oasis will play host to KUBIK Melbourne, a colour changing, glowing Tetris monstrosity that is sure to be our city’s hottest venue for the duration of its brief season.

A cafe by day and music venue by night, KUBIK Melbourne is a specifically designed version of one of Europe’s most innovative temporary architectural installations. Originally conceived by ‘idea engineers and cultural managers’ Balestra Berlin, KUBIK Melbourne has been uniquely adapted by local creative producers Marksthespot for Melbourne Music Week.

“The design has been in play for 12 months,” says Marksthespot co-director Starr Guzman. “My partner [Marksthespot co-director Kevin Karlberg] had been to see KUBIK a few times at music festivals and things—he kind of started talking about it and he wouldn’t stop. He thought we should really do it here, but we can’t do it the way they do it overseas—open all night, running for three months—we don’t have the audience, we don’t have the legislation. But it inspired me to find a different way to do it.

“The legislation is just so tight that we were really lucky to have the council back us up. They were so forward thinking that they realised that Melbourne—all the legislation—is so far behind that they have to be the leaders in changing that.

“All open topped venues usually have to finish at 11pm…but we’re running until 2am on the weekends, and I think that’s really exciting.”

Apart from looking stunning, KUBIK Melbourne also has a distinctly sustainable edge. Constructed from locally sourced and recycled industrial bulk containers and water tanks, KUBIK is not just boxed up and shipped over from Europe.

“We thought there’s hundreds and thousands of these things around Australia. Surely there’s some we can use,” says Guzman.

“Some of the light components are coming from China and Berlin, but everything’s being built here from scratch basically.”

KUBIK will be unveiled at a VIP event this Thursday night before hosting a number of high-profile acts throughout Melbourne Music Week—including an exclusive 3-hour DJ set by Cut Copy and Midnight Juggernauts to open MMW on Friday night.

Melbourne Music Week runs from 18 – 26 November. For more information on KUBIK Melbourne visit http://kubikmelbourne.com.

Photo by Balestra Berlin.