The Painted Villa
Preliminary site investigation by Elizabeth Langslow and Mila Faranov.
A projection and film installation set within Villa Alba, a 19th-century house museum in Kew, Melbourne. This project reimagines the decorative aesthetics of the Victorian period through archival research, animation and digital projection.
The Paterson Bros
The Villa Alba, a significant cultural site in Melbourne, nearly lost its interior artwork due to institutional oversight and refurbishment. Its preservation is integral in The Painted Villa’s exploration of artistic heritage, ‘temporal magic’ and contemporary art practice. These rediscovered painted interiors were created by the Paterson Bros, and other artists they commissioned in the 1880’s. Through painting, they embedded their imaginations in the villa’s walls.
Temporal magic
The concept of ‘temporal magic’ is used as a lens for this investigation. Rather than viewing Villa Alba’s interiors as static relics, we reimagine the Villa and its creators as dynamic, psychic participants in our contemporary storytelling.
Elizabeth is a direct descendant of one of the original artists, Hugh Paterson, who painted the Villa’s interiors. We explore ancestral connection and intergenerational memory alongside settler/migrant imagination in 19th century Australia.
Our animated works—composed of floral motifs, maritime landscapes, and domestic ornament—will be projected back into the historic rooms, offering a living dialogue between past and present. The Painted Villa project will be exhibited in 2026.
Public projection
Projection of our animations inspired by The Villa Alba, for ‘Floreligia’ hosted by Avington Merino (Sidonia, Vic) in 2025