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

Bulletin 15th Oct, 197'( lhc n1_ain so_u11_ern uc~,·,s r'. 1 111e _ 10 . t_1e imagined. of gelli ng a royal imprin~~tur ~lty. I he 11111111 locus ol lh,· ,·11y wi ll slull to guarunlc,• 1h,· prnj,:cl fnim pohu~u l lr,~m th~ mundane downt11wn urea hi intcrfcrcntc. r\nPlhcr ully was Mike Brisba ne s grealest i1a111ral assc1: lls Evans, amalcur opera ,ingcr and broad. meandering river. Its ard111ce1. cxeculi\'c dircchlr of the s,·n inr coali1ion R~ibin G_ihson, sc_cs the centre in lcrms parlner, 1he National Parly. L:vans. who ol rc1urnmg the riwrhan~ l<J lhc people looks more like a real es1a1e salesman or B!isbane: . . than an opcrnli\'e r11r a rural-based " coming . Ihe pro)ci:1 was cnn_ce1vi:d m an odd politknl pnrty. engineered the chungc . Queens- 1111x1ure_ ~11 hure~ucra11c enl1gh1cnmcn1 of nnme and image from Quccnslullll y. mu~cum,, and _rnh111:11I realism. . Country Puny 111 Na1ional Party: •-audiencc- 1 . l owurd lh~ end '.JI _the 1960s lhc supporl for cullural aclivitics suits lhc nnd other maJc,1,uacy ol 1he exis1111g Quecnsl_:'.nd new image. Arl Gallery hccamc apparenl. . I_he With the help or Gibson, the mnrept go~er_nmenl ap~roved_a new S7-m1ll1un_ was skilfully packaged hy ofliciuls from bu1ld111g on a , 11~ which 1_s now parl ol the Slate Treasury. Works Dcpanmcnt the . Cultural . C e1Hrc site. A local and Publi,· Service ttciard. In 1heir archue.i.. Rohm Gibson and Partners, submission to the government. 1hey was appomled. . . stressed the snvings or up to 25 pcrrcnl In 1970. rnmpla1111s _were rn1ecd on overheads which would accrue by ahuut the accom11111dao~n ol lhe erecting one ccnlre instead uf lour ':?11een~h111d Mn,eum and S1a1c Library. separate buildings. · l-cas_1bll11y s1ud1_es . were launcheJ 10 Sir Dnvid Muir played a major part consider new bu1ldmgs. Me_anwhlle. 1he in selling the conccpl to 1he government. new an gallery "'.as progrc_ssmg s!owly. He is a former Queensland Agcn1- W11h the a~vumage ol h111ds1gh1. lhe General in London and is now chnirman change nexl step ol bnng111g the gallery. of the Public S~r\'ice Board as well ns museum _and libr~ry . together anJ chnirman of ihe Q'ucensland Theatre mcorporalmp a _perlonmng arts ccn_1re Company. The· ccnlre will be seems s1ra1gh1lurwar_d. hu1 helpmg administered hv the Queensland ha,'.ds and ravorablc e1rc11ms1ances were Cultural Centre .Trusl. al~cady . in needed. existence. It co-ordmatcs and 1s advised Fi_rs1. ther~ was the Qae~nslanJ by four user-i:ommittces rcprcsenling Public . Service Board .which 1s the museum, lihrary, nrl gallery and responsible lor accommodaung gov~'.n• performing-arts centre. Sir David's mcnt departments _and 111sm1111cntalit1es involvemcnl with cultural activi1ies in was ,~ell as hemg lhc_ir personnel Queensland is so cxlcnsive thal 1hc lirst a_u1horny. Its _depu1y ,·h:nrma~ a) . lhe question asked following the es1ablish- 11me w~s David Mercer. now .'" South mcnl of a new arts t,ody is. "Who is on Aus1rah:•· \\'ho was S)·mpa1hc11c lo the the conunillec. apan rron1Sir David'!". needs ul lhe arts. . . . . . Considering 1hc nrngni111Jc uf the Secondly. 1he. proposed sue lor lhe project, ils path has been remarkably new mus~~1~1 111 Alben Park was sn'ionth. The only puhlic controversy has sevc_re_ly cn11c1sed as b~mg ,uns1111~blc. , surrounded ihe performing-arts cen1re. ·1.h1rJly. . •~er MaJe.~ty s,. Bnsbane s Originally. ii was 10 comprise a ~000-seal onl). IOOO-scat-plus thea_tre su11able for concert hall. 1800-scal iheatre lor opera perlormaoces ?Y the na110nal ballel and_ and ballel and a 400-seal dranrn thea1re. opera compa111es. came under threat of• Following the rcpon ul' theatre red~velopment. . . . . . consultant Tum llrown. prepared in Fourthly. the _poss1b1l11y ol rcs1onng conjunction -.•ilh the architecl and th_c !legcnt cinema. rep~ete . ~llh acoustic consultant. 1be plans were V1c1onan gilt and nurrors. 10 its original radically altered. The concert hall !'unction as a 1hea1re was remote. remained. bul ,the two thea1res were Despite allcn~pts to conserve the Regen! replaced by une "variahle-audience– as 11 1hc111rc. 11 1s lo be turned in10 1w111 capacity" lhcatrc. cinemas. This 1heatrc , will ,1<,ub1less a!tracl The oulcomc nf these different inlcrnulional as well as Aus1ralia-wide factors was a promise in lhe Liberal Puny inlcresl. Al maximum. ii can accum– ~olicy speech hcfore lhc 1974 S1a1c modatc ahuut 2200 in 1hc s1alls and 1wo election or a·cultural cenlre. The pledge dress cirdcs. Uyfowcring 1he ceiling. 1hc was del ivered hy depul)' Premier and top dress circle ·will disappear. and 1hc Treasure~, Gordo~ Chalk . . . . theatre will seal 1400. Ry using sliding Premier Joh RJclkc-Pctcrsen s 11npn111 walls in lhc s1alls. 1he capacity can be has bc_cn strangely absent. Chalk made, further reduced 10 IO00 seals. the llrs1 announcement. _and lus The idea is ,lh:11 11 1 ils maximum successor . as Liberal parl~ame~1.ary capacity the ihcalre will caler for 1he leader. 8111 Knox, was duel P?hllc~I nation:il opera and hallct companies: host when the Q_ucen lou_red the site this. while the :uu.liences which usually allcnd year. Th~ Premier was m lhc nonh ol Queensland Op,·ra and Ligh1 Opera lhc S1a1e 1nspcc11n_g nood damage. Company pcrrormanccs can he acwm- Mcncc 1hc 1mponance. real or modaled adccpialcly al mcdi11111 or A model of the QuHn1l • nd Cultural Centre, du • for completlon by Iha end ol 11113 minimum capaci1y. Although 1he thea tre consultant submilled his report in September, 1976. it has 1w1 been made public. and many of the groups consulted will read about 1he "variable-audience-capacity'' theatre for the lirs1 1ime here. Lack of consultalion has been a persistenl erilicism . Musica Viva and the Queensland Fesliv:11 of the Arts complaincJ abo111 not being involved in the early planning, and smaller groups vnicc fruslration . Perhaps the greatest nagging doubt is whe1hcr u huge complex is the bcsl way 10 promote 1he S1a1e's cuhural Jevelopment. Sir IJavid M11ir denies lack of consultation, poir11ing 10 the wide range of groups asked to parlicipatc in the theatre consuhanls' work. Mc also cites represcnlatiun on the l'crforming Arts Co111mi11ce by Qucensland's 1wo opera companies, Conscrva1ori11111 of Music and Theulre Company. Musicu Viva nnd 1hc Fcs1ivnl or lhc Aris were not approuched earlier because they were cnlrepreneurial. ralher limn performing groups. He has no rears lhal lhe cenlre will he an awe-insp_iring edifice which will rrighlcn people uway. There will be parking for more than IOOO curs, and the centre will he in use from early in the morning 10 late al night. Uibson also sees the centre as an alive part of Uri~banc. Oflicc work1;rs anJ visilors 10 the ci1y can reach the sue in live minu1cs. 11 is easy l!J envisage lunch-hour s1rollers walking through lhe open-plan ccnlrc or silting on the landscaped area hc1wec11 lhe Arl Gallery and lhc riv1.!r. The ,·c111rc ,ksign fca111rcs large areas OUHn Ell11b • th plenllng a lrH to mark the ffret 11111 • of con1tructlon In March ol lhl1 par or glass s11 exhibits can be seen from t~e 0111sidc, und, to sui1 lhe climate, restauranl patrons will be able to cat nu1doors. There will also be nn oulside library area so readers can browse 111h er 60-ycur old trees. Seen in isolation, the model of lhc whole cc111rc has all 1hc gr;it·c and charm or a ('Ollcge or advanced cd'uculion, bu1 1ha1 di,c·nunls i1s magnificenl silc. t.ihson mainlain, thut the design of the cen1re will enable ii lo blend inlo Brisbane. with the river in rrun1 and a range nr moun111in, behind.