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Monday 9am - 4pm Tuesday 9am - 4pm Wednesday 9am - 4pm Thursday 9am - 4pm Friday 9am - 4pm

Synthesis Design + Build, 13 Newcastle Road, Melbourne (2026)

06/03/2026

Friday Flashback: Melbourne Grand Prix 1996 - This week marks 30 years since the inaugural Melbourne Grand Prix — a time before iPhones, when purchase orders were faxed and the Synthesis team was working around the clock installing displays to bring the excitement of Formula 1 to life.

These two installation images are just a small example of the dozens of in-centre activations we designed, installed, and travelled to launch the Grand Prix in Melbourne. It was grassroots motorsport marketing at its best — hands-on, lots of fun, and unforgettable.

Images: Synthesis (analogue SLR camera, roll of film developed at the local photo shop, 10-day turnaround!)

13/02/2026

Science Gallery Melbourne | DISTRACTION plugs into the streaming torrent of content and the places our brains go when we want to focus on anything but *the thing*. You know… the thing you’re supposed to be doing right now?

To support this unique exhibition, the Synthesis team was contracted to complete the built form scope for 512-BIT by Dr Cris Edwards.

The 3m x 3m x 3m room has been designed, engineered, and fabricated as a freestanding, self-supporting structure. The Synthesis production methodology allowed for off-site prefabrication and the ability for the built form foundation to be repurposed at the conclusion of the installation.

Thanks to the Science Gallery Project Team and Curators for entrusting Synthesis with helping to bring DISTRACTION to life.

The exhibition reopens to the public from 17 February 2026 and will run until 2 May.

Exhibition Design:
Images: .photography

30/01/2026

ACMI | Game Worlds ~ Synthesis recently completed the production design and off-site fabrication of selected joinery for ACMI's new playable exhibition.

Game Worlds features more than 30 videogames from the 1970s to today, with 44 playable moments alongside original builds, rare design materials and hands-on prototypes you won’t find anywhere else!

Needless to say, the gamers on the Synthesis team were thrilled to be working on a variety of custom angular plinths, desks, counters and the Giant Xbox Controller pictured. The giant controller was fabricated as oversized, fully operational units with integrated functional parts, bringing the gaming experience to a new scale.

Thanks to the ACMI exhibition and technical teams for the opportunity to be part of the build and assist in bringing this incredible experience to life.

The exhibition runs until 29 March 2026.

Photography: Mark Ashkanasy

25/07/2025

Australian Space Agency | Custom Plinth ~ Over the past 38 years, we have crafted thousands of plinths to display and support everything from priceless artifacts to a 67-million-year-old Triceratops skeleton. This month, we had the privilege of creating a custom circular plinth — sculpted to resemble a lunar landscape — for the 18th Australian Space Forum in Adelaide.

The plinth proudly showcased “Roo-ver,” Australia’s first lunar rover, developed in collaboration with NASA for a future Artemis mission. This semi-autonomous rover is designed to collect lunar soil (regolith) and potentially extract oxygen, an innovation that could play a vital role in supporting future human exploration of the moon and Mars.

The plinth was fabricated using a combination of precision CNC cutting and detailed hand sculpting, fitted to a custom circular joinery base. It was then hand-painted and finished to create the appearance of the moon’s landscape.

Thanks to the Australian Space Agency for allowing Synthesis to support Roo-ver and the Forum.

Photos: Australian Space Agency and Synthesis

11/07/2025

Temporary walls to provide introduction, a place to exhibit or reconfigure a space. The temporary wall system has been a service provided by Synthesis for more than three decades. Our temporary walls offer free standing, self-supporting, engineered solutions where permanent walls cannot be installed. Temporary walls are also a sustainable alternative to the traditional stud and plaster walls that can not be deinstalled or repurposed at the end of a project.

A recent project featuring our custom designed and produced temporary walls is ‘Aftershocks: Nolan and the Holocaust’ at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. The exhibition showcases a series of raw, emotive works by celebrated Australian artist Sidney Nolan.

The exhibition is showing until 2 August 2025.

Exhibition developed by the Sydney Jewish Museum.

Research and Curation: Katharine Cousins
Exhibition Producer: Dr Breann Fallon
Exhibition Design :
Graphic Design:
Artwork Installation:
Exhibition build, temporary walls, graphics and banners:
Photography:

17/06/2025

State Library Victoria | Make Believe – Encounters with Misinformation ~ Synthesis is proud to share our work recently completed for Make Believe, an exhibition exploring how human choices, psychology and biases contribute to the spread of misinformation.

As principal builder, Synthesis was responsible for the full scope of works, including the de-installation of the previous exhibition-built form, resolution of build methodology, production design, building permit documentation & compliance, engineering coordination, off-site fabrication, delivery, and final installation.

The exhibition, designed by Studio Peter King, required Synthesis to deliver a range of bespoke joinery and built-form elements including:

✳️ A 6m wide x 3.6m high mirror wall at the rear of the gallery.

✳️ Custom-designed seating, incorporating a reproduction of the heritage column skirting within the Keith Murdoch Gallery, featuring highly detailed upholstery in a combination of suede and custom-printed fabrics.

✳️ An overhead space frame spanning the full width and length of the gallery, housing both exhibition lighting and power infrastructure for integrated screens — an essential component of the exhibition’s immersive environment.

✳️ Temporary partition walls to create four distinct rooms within the gallery, each representing a key thematic element of the exhibition.

✳️ Projector rails and AV support joinery.

All works were successfully delivered and installed within the heritage-listed Keith Murdoch Gallery without disruption to the State Library’s daily operations or visitor experience.

Thanks to the SLV exhibition team for the opportunity to help bring the Make Believe exhibition to life.

Make Believe is a free exhibition, open daily until 26 January 2026

Curators: Linda Short & Georgia Goud
Exhibition Producers: Sam McKinnon & Nickk Hertzog
3D Exhibition Design:
Exhibition Lighting:
Build methodology, construction, installation:
Wall & column painting:
Wallpaper:
Upholstery:
Exhibition images: courtesy of SLV
Build Images: Synthesis

07/03/2025

Yarra Ranges Regional Museum | A Toast to Melba ~ It has been wonderful to support Yarra Ranges Regional Museum once again with custom graphic elements and joinery. "A Toast to Melba" shares rarely seen objects, photographs and personal treasures from Coombe Yarra Valley, Arts Centre Melbourne and Yarra Ranges Regional Museum — brought together for the first time in this dynamic new exhibition.

Thanks again to the YRRM exhibition team for the opportunity to assist you on this project.

Photo - Sean Paris Photography

Yarra Ranges Council

14/02/2025

Flashback Friday: Curved, carved, and complex ~ Every project leaves lasting memories and enables us to deliver better outcomes for future projects. The project pictured here was a hand sculptured relief panel installed into a new cinema development in Richmond, Victoria, in the early 2000s.

Today, 25 years later, the design, development, templating, carving, coating, and polishing techniques used in this project remain relevant and are still utilised in our processes. This project presented unique challenges, especially with the intricate curves that needed to align perfectly with the joinery, ceiling, and wall contours. To address this, we developed an innovative templating method, which we incorporated into early 3D CAD/CAM modelling systems. This approach continues to be a vital part of our work, ensuring that we can achieve seamless integration between new and existing complex curved contours.

The final result was an installation that appeared as a single, flawless piece of polished brass.

With each project comes experience and knowledge, we learn about new materials, create new production methods, and work out how to solve problems we didn’t even know we had. As we enter our 37th year in operation, we take pride in the thousands of projects we've successfully completed.

07/02/2025

Melbourne Holocaust Museum – Underground: The Hidden Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto ~ Synthesis recently had the privilege of completing the build for Underground, an exhibition of rare artefacts from the hidden archive of the Warsaw Ghetto, on display for the first time outside of Europe.

The Synthesis scope of work encompassed the off-site production of all joinery, including a suite of handcrafted solid timber-framed, free-standing display furniture and forms meticulously assembled without any visible fixings. Once the joinery frames were installed, they were painted and wrapped in fabric. Custom showcases and graphics by Synthesis were then fixed to the joinery, completing the installation of built form. Additionally, lightboxes, free-standing showcases, and display walls were designed, manufactured, and installed by Synthesis to support and complement the exhibition story.

Thank you to the MHM exhibition team for entrusting Synthesis to help bring the exhibition to fruition.

The exhibition is currently on display until 30 March 2025.

For a full list of exhibition credits and further information, please see https://mhm.org.au/underground/

3D Exhibition Design: Space Arrangers
2D Design: Studio Tweed
Build methodology, production design, off-site construction, installation, signage and graphic production, showcases and finishing and photos 4 - 6:

Photographs 1 - 3:

24/01/2025

Science Gallery Melbourne | SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed offers fresh insights on science fiction, a genre built on envisioning alternative futures and imaginary realms. The lines connecting science fiction with ancient philosophy and mythologie s are brought to light through the work of Asian and First Nations women artists and collectives.

The Synthesis team was contracted to complete the built form scope for the SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed exhibition including design and development of the engineered 7.5m x 7.5m floor structure and elements to support the Red Silk of Fate installation. Custom LED lighting baffles were created for use throughout the exhibition in addition to semi-circular plinth joinery, a custom seating and display library fixture for the reading zone (complete with old school fat back TV and DVD player) and freestanding, internally illuminated plinths and showcases. The exhibition built form also included many re-purposed elements of joinery, seating and tables from previous Synthesis exhibition builds and installations at SGM.

Thanks once again to the Science Gallery Project Team and Curators for entrusting Synthesis with helping to bring the Sci-Fi exhibition to life.

The exhibition reopens to the public from 19 Feb 2025.

Exhibition Design: Sibling, Forde + Nicol, Napp Studios
Images 1 & 4 - Matthew Stanton
Images 2, 3 & 5 - Synthesis Design + Build
Images 6 & 7 - Phoebe Powell

29/11/2024

Flashback Friday: Christmas by Synthesis at Parkmore Shopping Centre 1989 ~ 35 years ago, the Synthesis team were hard at work creating what would become a truly memorable Christmas installation.

Centred around a 100-year-old carousel, beautifully restored & refurbished by the team at Wittingslow Amusements, the Santa setting at Parkmore Shopping Centre came alive to the delight of young and old. The amazing sight of the carousel turning to the sound of Christmas carols, surrounded by sparkling white, silver, and pastel decorations (it was 1989!!) made it a Christmas installation with a difference and drew customers from far and wide.

The set design and supporting marketing campaigns went on to win many awards.

#1989

11/10/2024

Buxton Contemporary Gallery | Assembled Audience Octagon ~ It’s no mean feat to prefabricate free standing, self-supporting engineered structures that meet building codes, Australian standards & fire regulations whilst achieving the design intent of the artist’s vision.

But this is what we do.

As registered builders working to support the arts, Synthesis specialises in developing build methodology to achieve a full project life cycle from material selection and connection methods to repurposing built form at the end of a project, including deinstallation and recycling. Synthesis takes into account every aspect of compliance, meeting all codes and regulations to keep visitors safe when enjoying museums, galleries and public spaces.

The example pictured here provides a glimpse behind the scenes of the recent build; Assembled Audience at Buxton Contemporary for the artist Taryn Simon’s sound installation. Audiences have responded with “fear and delight” in the enclosed, pitch-black space.

This is the last week you can experience the same crowd never gathers twice closing on 13 October.

Curated by: Annika Aitken
Exhibition Design:
Build methodology, construction, installation, finishing, and photo:

Synthesis Design + Build

06/03/2026

13/02/2026

30/01/2026

25/07/2025

11/07/2025

17/06/2025

07/03/2025

14/02/2025

07/02/2025

24/01/2025

29/11/2024

11/10/2024

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Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm