Art Office Eating

Eating and drinking well enriches most artistic activity. Nourishment of the body is one important reason but it's also the nourishment of the soul and the spirit which is provided by good drinking and eating spaces .

The aesthetic, comfort and acoustic of bars, cafes and restaurants are critical factors. But what's even more important is the social interaction. For artists to provide commentary on society they need to see humanity at work and at play and this part of the creative process can't be done in the solitude of home. So the opening of The Public Office & Canteen, by architects Six Degrees, a space you can eat, drink, work, play, interact or hide within your own work station, heralds a new era in Melbourne's cafe and artistic life.

Just as Meyers Place, the bar which Six Degrees designed, built and still run, kicked off the trend to inner city hole in the wall bars so too will this West Melbourne enterprise re-define how we work. As Craig Allchin, one of the six directors of the firm, explained, " you need input from the outside world. We found that after working together (the six architects) you get stale after a while, you need interaction with others. So, we've made a space where others can come in and work as well as eat and drink in the Canteen."

The entrance at 100 Adderley Street has minimal signage. Wide stairs take you past two levels of carpark. The stair well doubles as an art gallery where you can pause to draw breath or rest in one of the brightly covered chairs on the landings. You enter a vast space (some 4000 square ft) made cosy by nests of armchairs, by clever use of old building materials, pre-loved equipment (the old 3LO announcer's desk and heaps of TV screens from Channel 7) a very glam looking hinged screen made from translucent corrugated fibreglass roofing and by the sense that you are entering a sort of home. Six Degrees are very much the owner occupiers with their own semi-private office at one end of the space. They've allowed themselves the one area with no view. Other users get great views, on two sides half the walls are windows showing a sweep of Melbourne landscape from the Spirit of Tasmania, the rail yards, and the city buldings. Then there's an enclosed seminar room with a long table seating 25 complete with whiteboard, video screens, slide projector etc. The Public Office has 15 computers for hire, all with internet connections and another 10 desk spaces. Rates range from just $6 an hour for computer terminal hires to $120 for a week. Amongst regular users since July is a writer who used to work from home but now comes into The Public Office three times a week. He has all the facilities to work at home but has missed having people around. On the top floor of this west end office, he can get up from the desk and wander into the bar, arrange meetings either in one of the formal rooms or around one of the coffee tables. The canteen's long communal tables (from the GMH canteen) offer more meeting opportunities or magazines for solitary eaters. And there are plenty of spots where you can plug in a lap top and work with the sounds of the espresso machine and the smell of food close by.

The Canteen food is prepared by Charmaine O'Brien whose brief from the architects was to provide their lunch and dinner every day and that it should be healthy good food for well under $10, such as a big bowl of lentil and tomato soup for $5 or bangers & mash with veg for $6. The Six Degrees directors are her keenest critics and fans, amongst them, Craig Allchin who is also one of the key contributors to Mietta's Eating & Drinking in Melbourne. So far public response shows they are on track, The Public Office Bar & Canteen are already in demand for all sort of parties often with performances . (It was the scene for the 50th Anniversary Party Night for the Archi Revue. Some 300 guests arrived by double decker bus after the revue. Films of previous revues were shown on the computer screens around the space.)

Performances were held earlier in the year during the Next Wave Festival before the office part was open. Now its used for meetings by Arts Victoria, Melbourne Cinematecque, and many others. There are internet courses held regularly. All the computers are on the one network with N.T. so users have passwords which give them exclusive access to their work.

The possibilities of this space are endless, really up to the wonderful creative forces out there in Melbourne. For more info, call 9328 4088. And to find out about more interesting spaces in Melbourne, Mietta's Eating & Drinking in Melbourne is now available $18.95, published by Hardie Grant.