The British Empire and Visual Culture 1850-1950

John White - Queen Victoria Monument, Bendigo Vic. 1903: “An Empire Upon Which the Sun Never Sets”
(Photo: Bronwyn Hughes) via Symposium website.

An upcoming symposium at Melbourne University that may be of interest. It is completely free and members of the public are very much encouraged to attend. Full details can be found at the website here.

A Symposium
Hosted jointly by the Art History Program, School of Culture and Communication and The Australian Centre, School of Historical Studies,
The University of Melbourne

Lecture Theatre A, Elizabeth Murdoch Building
1-2 October 2009
Informal site visits will be incorporated into the final program

Convenors: Dr Alison Inglis (Head Art History Program): Prof Kate Darian-Smith (Professor of Australian Studies and History) & Dr Bronwyn Hughes (Art Historian and Heritage Consultant).

This two-day symposium presents papers from range of disciplines, including art history, architecture, design, literature, social and cultural history, media studies, museum studies and Australian studies. Speakers include academics and museum professionals from Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Great Britain, such as Dr Anita Callaway (University of Sydney); Dr Caroline Jordan (LaTrobe University); Dr Andrew Montana (Australian National University); Associate Professor Catherine Speck (University of Adelaide); Associate Professor Mark Stocker (Otago University); Professor Bruce Scates (Monash University); Dr Matthew Potter (Leicester University).

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A FREE EVENT THERE IS NO REGISTRATION CHARGE FOR THIS SYMPOSIUM.
However the audience is encouraged to arrive in good time so that a name tag can be provide.

Sessions include:

Performing Empire, War and Commemoration
Geographies of Empire, Institutions and Ideologies
Imperial networks and exchanges, Aesthetics of Empire
Collecting Empire, Heroes and Monarchs

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney - Spring Walk

For some reason (possibly thesis induced brain failure) it hadn't really occurred to that it was Spring until I stepped into the Botanical Gardens in Sydney. I tend to have a habit of visiting gardens at completely the wrong time of year, think snow and ice and sculptures wrapped in black plastic. But for once I got it right, it was a gorgeous day, about 33 degrees. I took a mass of photos so stay tuned for more.

The gardens were founded on the 13th of June 1816. The spring walk in the photos below was first planted in 1856 with azaleas, rhododendrons and similar, under the directorship of Charles Moore, who was in charge of the gardens between 1848 and 1896. In the 1970s azaleas and wisterias were more dominant.



Recently in 2004 the Spring Walk was regenerated, the azaleas were thinned out and rhododendrons, wisterias and other spring flowering shrubs were added. You can see the dominance of the flowering peaches, cherries and plums, as well as a variety of bulbs, the tulips were particularly spectacular. there is so much blossom I almost feel this blog post needs a warning for hay fever sufferers!

Sydney Snapshot

Have had a bit of a blogging hiatus, been away to Sydney and also have a million things to do, including a rather long catalogue essay, which is rather behind. Have a lot of ideas rattling around in my head as well as a bunch of pictures from Sydney that I want to share so will try and put aside some time every few days to write something here.

To get me started here are some exterior and interior shots of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The original building was constructed between 1896 and 1909 to the design of Walter Liberty Vernon. His design was never completed and the gallery today is a combination of Vernon's original design and the new wing built between 1968 and 1970 to a design by architect Andrew Anderson. When I was there the sun was shining into the atrium and highlighting the classical architecture in a most beautiful way so that was what I photographed. They didn't seem to allow photos inside the gallery proper and being the classicist that I am I completely forgot to photograph the 1960s design, oops!

Snapshot, East Melbourne

An old fire truck! Was so excited. All shiny and red. Need I say more? Except perhaps please tell me I wasn't the only one who thought it said '1914 Hotchicks' (see last photo). Turns out 'Hotchkiss' is a type of fire engine. Learn something new everyday. (I still secretly wish it did say 'Hotchicks').
I should go to this museum one day, walk past it so often.

Snapshot, Melbourne University.

Another Melbourne Uni building, the chapel at Newman College to be exact. Another building I walk past so often I almost don't see it any more. It is pretty wonderful, I have been to several concerts inside and it has great acoustics. Even though it is in a Gothic style it still has a very mid-twentieth century feel to it. The clean lines and massed stone, a very modern re-interpretation of Gothic. Its large almost rectangular mass and the way it stands apart from the other college buildings reminds me of the Sydney War Memorial in Hyde Park. It was designed by the architects Connelly, Dale and T. Payne and consecrated in 1942, over twenty years after the college by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin had been completed.

War Memorial in Sydney, Image from Art Deco Sydney.

Protest TOMORROW against the proposed demolition of Lonsdale House

A reminder that the protest against the demolition of Lonsdale House is tomorrow (Saturday 22nd) from 12pm till 1pm. We are hoping for good numbers so please come down, bring some friends, family and let's show the government, the developers, the retailers and the council that we will not stand quietly by while our heritage is demolished. For more details visit www.savelonsdalehouse.com

Sunday Smith St Snapshots.

Despite the gusty winds and rain showers there was some nice sunshine for taking photos. Here are a couple I took as I was out doing errands on Smith St.


The discount television centre is no longer, now a shop of cheap imported knick knacks, there is still a bakery there . I guess these are the kind of signs that will vanish one day, no real reason to retain them, but the vibrant colours and the criss cross of back lines from the electrical wires and tram lines caught my eye and I thought it was well worth recording.

There are masses of really lovely old nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings on Smith St, which I think it is easy to overlook when the paint is peeling and everything is defaced with those godawful boring tags. Though admittedly I do like a bit of peeling paint and old painted signs.


Monsieur Truffe, I read a review of it a few months ago and have been wanting to try it out, this is quite literally the first time I have managed to spot it, not that it is really tucked away, I think I just forget to look for it. Looked delightful this arvo with sun streaming in through the windows.

Snapshot, Melbourne University.

The chemistry building at Melbourne University. Built in 1938 by the Victorian Public Works Department. Don't know who the architect was I'm afraid.

Snapshot, Melbourne

I'm afraid I know nothing about this lovely building. It is at 415-419 Bourke St, just up the hill from Elizabeth St. I would hazard a guess that it dates to the early twentieth century. It has quite stylised classical elements, such as the pilasters which have been reduced to mere dividers with but a hint of a capital. But then there are the large three high relief urns. Curious. Would like to know more so if you have any ideas please let me know.

As an aside I also have to add that I am very much enjoying the framing effect of the bare branches of trees in the city at the moment.

Protest against the demolition of Lonsdale House

There are plans for a protest against the demolition of Lonsdale House as detailed in the post below. Please visit the facebook group here for further details. Also, if you haven't done so already, you can sign the petition here.

It is so important that we do not stand silently by as these buildings are demolished.

UPDATED: A quick update to link to this article from The Age newspaper. Seems the council is not only ignoring their responsibility to safeguard Melbourne's heritage but actually profiting from it. This is really disturbing behaviour in my opinion. Not only the obvious destruction of Lonsdale House, but also the destruction of our laneways. It seems even worse considering the emphasis upon the value and attraction of Melbourne's laneways that was championed by the City Council under John So.

Lane sales to make $1.4m
Kate Lahey
August 4, 2009


MELBOURNE City Council will make almost $1.4 million by selling CBD laneways for a massive new shopping development, after its controversial refusal to protect a historic building on the site....

Read the full article here.