This Weekend: Public Cooling House

Blending contemporary design with ancient ritual, Public Cooling House by Punctum provides instant relief from the summer heat with water pots you can literally dip your toes in. Across three days, immerse yourself in traditional cooling techniques and engage in specially curated talks, all while listening to chilled tunes from some incredible musicians.

Situated in the Royal Botanic Gardens, the flat-pack Cooling House contains individual cooling pots to slip your feet into and relax. An attendant will guide you through a serene experience inspired by heavenly places such as the Ancient baths of Greece and Rome and Onsens, the public soaking baths in Japan.

To complement the chill time, a series of free talks will explore the cooling systems of natural environments and how we can survive rising temperatures. Speakers such as Clare Hart, the Manager of Horticulture, Melbourne Gardens and Dr Meg Hirst, Researcher, Victoria Conservation Seed Back, will impart their knowledge on fascinating topics such as how plants regulate their environment and how they are responding to the rising temperatures caused by climate change.

The Public Cooling House will also feature an impressive line-up of musicians, including electro pop trio Earworm and cellist Nikki Edgar, exploring themes such as how we will face a water-tight future.

The Public Cooling House is a modern interpretation of nomadic desert architecture. It’s draped in hemp fibre hessian to keep it chilled, as wicks conduct water along the hessian. Wind cools the air as it passes from the damp drape through the house via specially arranged holes. The air then passes over porous terracotta pots within the house, causing slow evaporation that chills the air even further.

The experience was conceived and created by Punctum, an artist-led Live Arts organisation founded in 2004. Punctum examines the relationship between artist and audience through live arts productions and performances. They describe the Public Cooling House as “part art house/part bath house, and a uniquely dry country approach to a cool place for a hot future”.

So step out of your shoes and into a cooling tub, and soak up the serenity while learning all about our water future. The Public Cooling House is presented by Royal Botanic Gardens in association with Arts House.

Public Cooling House
The Perennial Border, Royal Botanic Gardens, South Yarra (Enter from Gate F)
Saturday, 1 to Monday, 3 December 2024
rbg.vic.gov.au/whats-on/punctums-public-cooling-house