The Library

Strange as it may seem, I have never been to the State Library before. Decided to go and have a look at the exhibition on there and take in the building as well.

Inspiration by Design, a new exhibition at the State Library of Victoria that showcases 150 objects from the last 150 years, all celebrating beautiful books.

All the objects are from the National Art Library at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, one of the leading museums of art and design. 

Book of hours

They range from mediaeval illustrated manuscripts to cool art deco graphics; from a red-painted Indian chief to Moonstrips Empire News, Eduardo Paolozzi's scrapbook of 1950s popular culture fragments; from Picasso cartoons to a spectacular modern leather-bound Bible; from Beatrix Potter to daring David Hockney illustrations.

Mary Quant fashion with Jean Shrimpton

But it is not all about old book but really the development of the book in publishing as well as the work of the Artists .

It was appropriate as there was also an exhibition in the lower gallery about the changing form of the book.
"reports of the death of the book have been greatly exaggerated (to paraphrase Mark Twain)

The library dome and the wonderful symmetry of the reading room is legend 
It was great to see it from many heights!

A spiral staircase in each 'corner' of the space

Shifting Gear

Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car is an exhibition about the search for and development of an Australian car.
Definitely not just for the car enthusiast, some were pieces of beauty!

Shifting Gear is a celebration of Australian automobile design represented by twenty-three cars, dating from late nineteenth century to the present day. It demonstrates the skill and sophistication of an automobile industry that could design and manufacture a mass-produced car from the ground up, a feat not many countries can boast.

This is a holden!! New development design

There was this beautiful car in the foyer looking like a sleek Jaguar, but all crawling around it kept saying "A Holden!!" as if they do not make things of beauty.
Certainly many cars today all look very alike (try to find your silver car in the car park!) I particularly can't understand the mundane look of the small Mercedes and BMW. They look like any other small hatch. If I drove one I would like it to look like a BMW!
The exhibition traces the development of the family car from its earliest steam driven /horseless carriage" There were  a lot of stories behind the development of some great vehicles and the people who styled them.

Bolwell Nagari 

There was the Bolwell car  (Factory on Wells Road Seaford) that we know about because Celia boarded with Bev Bolwell while at Teachers college.

Then there is Lewis Bandt who in 1924 was apprenticed at age of 14 to a car maker and his job was to draw up special bodies for customers
Then in 1933 which Australia recovering from the depression, he made automative history when  he was tasked by Ford in Melbourne to design car that could be 'driven to church on Sunday but feed the sheep during the week".
He designed the Ute!

The interior of the tray is wood.

This untouched 1934 model was found in 1987 under a peppercorn tree in Gippsland. It has not been restored at all.

Holden Hurricane Coupe Concept car.

Buick Avenir concept model MADE OF AUTOMATIVE MODELLING CLAY!

What I didn't know is that there are Concept cars made, that are never meant to go into production but for design ideas. The beautiful Holden at the top is one of these.
I'm thinking of trading up, That will be my goal!!!

Reflection Model

I traveled in by bus to the NGV to see Takahiro Iwaskai's model of Itsukushima.and the floating Tori Miyajima, the shrine near Hiroshima.
Takahiro Iwasaki is recognized as one of Japan’s new generation of emerging young artists, who creates intricately detailed models that reinterpret contemporary cityscapes and iconic historic building.

it just floats and the double shape is like a reflcection

The Reflection Model series focuses on seven of Japan’s most sacred buildings that all have an intimate visual relationship with the reflections they cast in the water that surrounds them. Playing with this striking visual relationship Iwasaki constructs precise three dimensional models that are exhibited suspended, in a way that combines the actual building with its illusionary reflection to create one complete form.

the Tori

Commissioned for the National Gallery of Victoria, the third and largest work in the Reflection Model series takes as its subject the Shinto shrine of Itsukushima, located on the tidal flats of Japan’s Inland Sea.

the detail is amazing

it was hard to get a picture without legs!

And the Real Thing

The Tori

Portable Iron Houses

I am making tracks into my list of new places in 2015.
I had heard of these but they were not really on my radar then saw the opening )1st Sunday of the Month) in Weekend Notes.

The Patterson House

The three houses at 399 Coventry South Melbourne give an insight into life in Emerald Hill, now South Melbourne, during the gold rush years. These buildings are examples of early property development are some of the few prefabricated iron buildings remaining in the world. 

The portable cottages were commissioned by Governor Latrobe to provide accommodation in a city bursting at its seams from the influx of those seeking to find gold. Made of a mixture of iron and wood they were the original "Flat packs" In 1855 South Melbourne, comprised nearly 100 portable buildings, of which 399, Patterson House, still stands on its original site, in what was called Tin Pan Alley by the older residents. Abercrombie House and Bellhouse House were moved to the current sites from North Melbourne and Fitzroy respectively.

Theey are just galvanised corrugated iron but some had lining boards made from packing cases, as well as windows 

The Box hedge at the front is 100yrs old and came from John and Sunday Reid's house Heide 

It was only as I was leaving that I saw a discreet sign asking us to refrain from taking photos!!

The back of Patterson House

An attic bedroom. Great in WInter but Summer!!

The stairs up

The Abercrombie house was moved from Arden St North Melbourne and was originally occupied by Andrew Abercrombie and was last occupied in 1976

At some time the house was divided into two areas. There are layers and layers of wall paper and the state of disrepair reminds me of the Tenements we went to in New York.

back of Abercrombie House 

the state of some of the iron 

Not bad for its age!

The lining boards and wall paper

Front door

Barwon Park

Saturday Sue and I drove down to Winchelsea past Geelong to Barwon Park Mansion where there was an exhibition of wedding gowns Love Desire and Riches The Fashion of Weddings.
Barwon Park was built by Thomas Austin and his wife Elizabeth, the latter who founded The Hospital for Incurables (TB) later to be, Yes you guessed it, The Austin Hospital in Heidelberg. She was inspired to open the Hospital when the only hospital she could find for her Cook who developed TB was the Goal Hospital.
Thomas is rather slanderously labeled to be the person who introduced rabbits to Australia, (He did but was not the only one!)
The mansion house, Barwon Park, at Winchelsea, was built of basalt in 1869. Architects Davidson and Henderson of Geelong designed the 42 room Italianate mansion. The square and utilitarian two storey building is enhanced by a distinctive cast iron verandah, elaborate entry hallway, stair case and high quality crafted interior.

The Exhibition was of dresses and designers including dresses from films television and literature. An appropriate venue (like Ripponlea, where the exhibition was last year) as both are popular wedding venues. The dress worn by Gwyneth Paltrow in Emma, wedding dress worn by Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood in Sense and sensibility, Alex Perry's jewel encrusted bodice of Kyly Clarke's dress, and Kylie Minogue's dress in Kath and Kim

Gowns by Mariana Hardwick, Collette Dinnigan, and an installation of the couture workroom.

Detail on one gown.

The dress Kylie Minogue wore in Kath and Kim. developed from a dress bought at Savers.

Paper couture head dress by Christina Re

paper dress by Christina Re

Shibori detail of a Isogawa design

Ivory dress worn in 1957 

detail on the skirt

Collette Dinnigan and Swarovski crystal dresses

Jean Paul Gaultier

What and Experience!! Must go again.

Detail of the ribbon dress!

UK Punk

What symmetry! And All hand made

the Train

Yes it's Knitted!!

LOVE this! Also knitted.

Kate Blanchett's dress