Instabition users could tune into a creator’s
process via digital media, helping to mould
the outcome via comments and likes.Practising under the name
Prevalent, Sydney-based architect
BEN BERWICK has a strong focus
on technology, which earned
him a final spot in both ‘The
Challenge’ and the 2019 Lexus
Design Awards.FUTURE OF SHOWS
Nº 2Believe the Hype
Ben Berwick’s ‘INSTANT EXHIBITION’ is like Fyre – without the fraud.
Your answer to these questions is Instabi-
tion. Can you tell us more? Instabition- a portmanteau of ‘instant’ and ‘exhibition’
- is a bit like Fyre. It didn’t matter about the
physical event; the Fyre experience was sold
in advance, purely through digital media.
Premature hype and excitement shouldn’t
be seen as negative.
What if you were planning a trip
and enjoying doing so, even if there was a
50/50 chance of it going ahead? The expe-
rience may remain purely digital, or you
might actually go on holiday. This is Insta-
bition: experiential prototypes of objects
and fashion shows featuring clothes that
you mayor may not buy. It’s retail therapy
without the purchase.
How would it function? Most representation
would be on social-media sites, with a time
limit. You could view an exhibition for 24
hours, for example. Tune in for the experi-
ence only, or actually buy the end result.
Is the product real? Will it be delivered to
you? Maybe. Or maybe not, if it doesn't meetYou began by questioning what it is that
people love about shows and exhibitions...
BEN BERWICK: We often attend fashion
shows and design weeks without intending
to purchase anything. Such events are about
being in the loop, feeling inspired and having
a fantastic experience. Can’t we re-create
these qualities digitally to reach a much
larger audience, a group that either doesn’t
have the privilege to be invited to an event
or the means to travel to one? What makes a
designer or creator exhibit their works? Rec-
ognition? Awareness? Sales? Could an online
platform offer such benefits?
predetermined targets. Imagine an artist
casting a concrete canvas over his body in
the shape of a chair, while streaming the
happening live on social media. Using real-
time comments, people could interact with
the artist during the process. This kind of
highly entertaining experience would be lost
in a regular exhibition of a finished product.
Instabition sells the experience of a prod-
uct’s process to better help it materialize.
The system’s digital nature could alleviate
prototyping costs and allow designers
to quickly market test. I can also imagine
them producing purely digital experiences
merely to inspire – or to encourage others.You liken your project to Fyre, which, despite
the hype, devastated innocent customers
and brought its founder criminal charges.
Won’t Instabition lead to disappointment?
Fyre was fraudulent. Here, the customer
knows beforehand that the project may not
go ahead. It’s more like Kickstarter, with the
hype of Fyre. – TI
prevalent.archi34 THE CHALLENGE