Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 9 : Construction of the cultural centre, 1977-1981

Culture · other Tile fir. l r<·liOll Ill l llo• • Qu n, l,nd ·u11u ro.1 C lll ll, ,.. , • opened Jn.,t nl~hl. UU L l I ,. centre muy 00011 be known by another nunw , 'l'h 'l'our1, 111 ~II• IS er ~lr ~:111utl. 111· • rllcRred the Queen hnd ulluru• .. Cent re wn., too m11cl1 uf a ton~uP t\u • 3 •er for 1110.u A ~m l.an art lorcr . tie Sllld Komr of lhe medln l\utl ~1- N!tld)' dubbed 1hc ccmre as 1hr ·ou h· h1111k 1111d ~lr Elllntl thou hi It wa, a ., colloqulol ,urnw thn1 could h l'('OJl1f' J)Ol)Ulll r. 'l'he n1u11c refer,\ lO thr cult urn! rcm1 r,: b~ln on thr .outh tm11k uf tht• • llrlsbunc Hll·er 11enr \'lc1or1u llrl<I• • Thr. cemrr''\ cnri,nr~ ru11l • cl1wr1um were 01>tned I St 1111,Chl a ncl the l'f'!:Jlllll • : r"nt, called The J+~ountn m Ho.nu, will • open wlthln a fort111 1 l1t. Th rest.Hu • • nml and aud1tunum , re part or 11t ! art gAllc11• com11lex wl11ch I nenr 11 • • completion. • Bul Queenstanders wlll ho,·e. tu wnll • for lhe performing ar1, complex. which w wlll house thrtc theittres, the museum. • lhe urt ~nlleir nnn ~tnte llbrury. • 11w ,11dltorlu111 10 sent 4ii0 1ieo1le. • will nltnos1 lm111cdlt11ely be~ln plu)·lnµ • host to conruences. semlnnrs und con• • certs. The c11nmrk ca11 nrcommocln tc 000 curs. T hree AO\!ernuumt minl.'11Pt'M were 11~£<1 to open 1he ro1111ilrx. '11w Trrn• suroj. Dr Ed\\'ill~ls, IIIO Work• Mlnlsirr. ~lr \Vh r1011. Hild ~lr EIIIOlL prnlscd lhc romples - whk h IS: t•~p •C' t.d to he ('Olllf>le1erl l>)' nbullt 1084 M r Whnrton took n 1r11dr~m:m·... · I~\\ : oj t~r centrr :rnd ~1!cl thl' lr~LMn \.' ,1t 1hr cl '\'Clo1mcnt llflcl :llrcucl \ 11--, rl iil.000 lOl\llC!-1 OJ COlltrl ~C. :!O(Hl "111\C'.\ or ~lee\. 1700 cuhlr mNre.~ of µlu ~:, niicl two million n11rn-hour~ llf lnbor, • Mr Ellioll IOok " more cult11111I · ,·. ... He lhOllj!ht Queen !HIid WR', t !O.ll • • through n rcnolssnncr - \'rr~·wh rt" he \\'Clll there wn:-1 e,·tdPllCC of H re- ~ n~\c:u111{\~~~:t,~~~,!!~e ~r~s;s a !Jo~·. ar1 YRllcrles - wlrh u CUjlllnl O - hacl n • drcndful lmngc." he .i11ct. " I .,ocm to re• ,. memhcr them ns dusty silent tombs. .. "The\· !iPcmcd ftu remo\'ecl l'rom ,.• : er)' Ila)' life. from the ordlnnrr people. and \I. ere pin e~. or ro !1 se,•meQ to m~· • . roung eyes resea·,·ed for n lew ..elect " membru·s or tht• :;ocletr. • "Tc'<:IRV nil thllt 1,"~ hHIWt d ," • tlllu:.t. fil!tt. 198 l THE COURlf.R -1' A_IL ..= I I .,.) l THE Tr,•,1.,ur •r. Or Eclwa rd~. 11ml the (JU •n. l:tlld 'u ll urnl Cfl ll'l' Tru,r eh,tl rm:t n. Sir Dr\\ld 1u1r. 111 np<•n !he nt11 ll 1orlu11 or ~[~W~~ornrn With JUDITH HUGHEY Cultural haven ... and you can buy a beer "BUT call I get a beer when I come?" asks Mike lligi:ins "hen Channel Sefen trll,es us on a ,isit lo Queensland's new Cultural Centre. Yes, Mike is ..nssured, there will be places to buy elcobol for the visitors and I he artists, ,So whatcls e is there in our $ I 00 million river.tide complex? On Channel Seven at 7 p.m., "South Bank Rising" take.~ as through the many "rooms" ancl speab to the people involvccl. You've probably read about it, seen the white shnpe growing on the riverbank but not had the chance to venture inside. As the camera swce~ across the city, along the river and around the huge founlain in front of the· centre, it looks more inviting. .... As Higgins says, most of us n re not aware of the size and grandeur of this new landmark. Ile, and 01hcrs during the 30 minu1c program, describe it as one of the. grca1cst places in 1hc world. They reckon it will be 10 us whal lhe Opcru Hou,e is 10 Sydney. "South Bank Rising" dircc1cd by Ian Duncan, takes us back to early days in Brisbane when the riverside wns covered with ,:oltage•stylc homes, llyl the 1880s, industry mm•cd inlo the area at the oulh end of the Vic10ria Bridge. The Cre1nurnc Thcntrc a ,•11rie1y and lilrn lhcalrc - s1ood for 40 ycnrs 011 the si1e un1il iL burned down in 1954. If !he Cremornc s1ood 1od1y it would be dwarfed by just a small part of the Cultural Centre - the gallery complex. for example. The lirst glimpse of the gallery Mike Higgins - a guided tour or Cultural Centre. :uc:., is nwc inspiring. :,:1ys Jliggins. A ,cries of pools ending in a cascade in an ouldoor ,culpturc garden greet you. I-luge rooms unfold - 1. galleries in all. Each is under humidity control, tcmpcrnturc control, specially lit for art works. nnd the walls arc moveable. HH The present Queensland_Ar.g Gullcry would lit in10 just one of rhc centre's galleries. l'rcscn1ly nt the art snllcry und mu,cun,. works are locked nwny, nm ny . tored on shr.lves in plastic bags, awaiting their apprnisnl. The Cultural Centre will solve that - there is space for every item. Already museum employees are working on ,displays although the new museum won't be opened until 1984. Higgins says it is the end or the glas.<1 case displays. We"II be able to touch, wnlk around and even manipulate the new displays. And the State Library. the last Nlaac, will revel in the new space. They've got things tucked away too, and will be able to give them :in airing - many things we can use, like visual display units giving us ncccss lo extensive dnla bankN. And we'll be able to lake ou r book or papers nnd choose a spot on the rending terraces or sit near one of the jacaranda trees. lliggins takes us into the 200-scat Lyric Theatre - one of 1he two that size rart pf the l'crforming Arts Complex - which he says is convertible for :, lilm rcs1iv11I. No seals, he tells us arc for from the s1age. • ••• You can arrive at the Cultural Centre by boat - architect Robin Gibson p&inls out he took into account Brisbane's two natural fca1urcs - the river and the mountain range beyond. The first stage - the auditor• i11m, car park and rcs1aurant is open. /\s Aris nnd Tourism Minister, Mr Elliot! said at the opening of the lirst stage "it will be a pince for the people." It will be a source or pride ror Quccnslanders and a place the will feel drawn to.