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

.•, . . e tal/U ol tlie,brua band,and the m parlour'we .,.;·1tal!ding·011 the the auditorium Iii the Art Gallery . lo.,kln1 ,at a ipcllbindin1 ,view i11Mneitci hav,, yet acc,n. , concrete.ii ~ 'but ypu 1et the ion Robin' 1 ottilon c:an already grau under bis tcct. · By' JOHN HAY·. "The complex will be very soft architeciure, with plantings all over the buildin(l." 1hi1 will be fawn,'; h"e says, "and Mr Gibson has designed the southern • bcrbo~ed towards the edge for a approach to 1he complex to resemble an area. I . 1 old European walled city. ,er, at .the Information Pavilion, Cars will be driven under a pln1.a ,bson waxed; as;they say, lyrical. connecting the Art Gallery with the ' metablc foi the project slips easily Performing Arts Centre, the roadway lips. , , . ' , flanked by imprcuive buildings and two Art Gallery, with restaurant and large landscaped parlls. ium, wlll"be opened Ill 1981, the. " "We have thouiht in terms of i11& Aiu' Centre in 1982, the townscape," says Robin Gibson. "No laad M~m jn 1983 and the wax have we thought or this u just a Litira,.y ip I ~84. bulldin1 or arouD of buildin.. in ilOiatlqn. mo'aa." lie jl),, "let me show you ·"It is • townscape and aa entrance to vi.,r•.., tbc city." · , ; . ,. · ·' Back ~t the. Information Pavilion, a nip through . the ubiquitous Visitors' I I I I I .. '.· lloc!k,·• .bore puaersby· from. around ~h• · · .·, ' world hava penned- their fleeting off .. IIIINl1- to the centre·or. thou,hta. ictoria Brldae, 11f1ty helmets A doun very lmprcuives. A score of off IICltblng but tlie • un. magnificents, a fantutic here and there. traces the outll111 of tlie Taylor Apd cv~n. last weekend, a grand concept, ia tbc dittance with llis pointin& from S1r i'.>onald Hibberd of Comalco, · .. ..; - ncrless. ,,. at'• l!I" of the natural heritap or Before he won tbe job of designing the ne," lie a)'I, "and we have located Cultural Complex, Mr Oiblon had accn p to try to maintain that other project, cweneu, but he has been , ovencu twice 1ince to keep up with ~ M-m will be at the back, and trends. I hava an envlronmntal garden 11 It really wise to put all om '1 cultural toreys hip, The curators' offices activities in one basket, so to sp.:ak? · be wnjlped round . it in a "Oh, yes,'' he aays. "Observation . " thro111hout the world has shown it is •ARCliITECr ROBIN GIBSON..... Cities.,•re lor people, ucl this centre :; tile city and the bridges, r911 desirable to amatr,matc most of the Is for people. PtlOTO: BOB BARNES ct,a wonderful vista or.the ranac, cultural p11r111its in one centre - the II die low terraces or the building, Lincoln and Kennedy Centres, areas or tcrr&OII full or plahts, sweeping up Parla and areas of London." 1h1 · ancient I cit f M h He · good-naturedly jibl at any ;· .· nc:a >' 0 ac u su~tion that the Queensland Cultural Comj,lell .will lie Brisbane's Royal Festival Hall, or Stratford-on-Avon Theatre, or Lincoln Centre. "It'• an old saying," he says, "but comparilon • are odious. This complex is not trying to.be any or those thinp. It ha• grown out of the nccda of the people of Queensland." · · And already wowed some top brass in tbc field from overseas. • Mlctiael Straight, former chairman or the U.S. Endowment for the Art,, came to - proare • a aaid . that when the pro1'ct was finilhed the world would be beatlq a path to Brisllane'1 door to ICC it. · . , . Patrick Donnell, head of the Royal •'Shauepeare Company, was ablolutcly enthralled with it: · · • The entire project is due to COit 545 million in 1974 terms, with a normal wages-material escalation index,,and ia within budget. Then it's off on the two-bob tour or the complex. "Yo11 don't realise how much building has gone on here.'' says Mr. Gibson. "It is quite stunning." Stunning indeed. The high riverbank landscaping and the situation of the site has mostly shielded progreu from commuting Brisbane. · But behind the barriers, mini– bulldozers are busy dozing, cranes arc swinging,' ant-like workmen arc clambering over ~ .•ge walls, trucks arc delivering mauiva pieces or equipment, supervisors with tape measures on their belts and bleepers in the hip pockets arc striding around the site. We pick our way between scaffolding, over cables, round ooncretc block • as Mr Giblon acts 11 guide through the current m11.0 of ' wails and 1tairc:ase • and walkways and•tuMela, . But amid the bustle, the Art Gallery is taking on discernible sh11pe, Way do.wn below, a two-storey, SOO-car parking . area la virtually icomplete. . H11hcr up, the ·· grand design is becoming apparent. ,I The theme or the complex, says .Mr Gibson, is to break down the barriers between the different activities, to try to inveigle the Museum visitors into the Art Gallery arid vice-versa. For that reason, a lass wa Ifs will abound. "You sec, pebplc going along a walkway will look down and see III in the sculpture garden," says Mr Gibson. "Tfic°)'.'11 be intrigued and say 'How the ,hell can I get down there?' ' ' "We arc trying to get rid of the labels, break down the barriers." Mr Gibson finds it hard to contain his enthusiasm as he points out the different features or the complex. . This hall will be for temporary exhibitions. And up there, that corridor will be a print gallery, for photographs or prints. And the sculpture garden will be there, and accn from inside and outside. There's a high-cclllngcd room tor th1 experimentalists in art. · , • Mr Gibson says it can be used for sound 11nd light demonstrations, lasers, holograms, multiple image stuff. . Even for displll'fS of colored jclf or smoke, if that's thc1r thing. . "It's for t~c avant garde,'.' 'says •Mr Gibson. ''They always say no provision is made for them. So this ~ullcry, will be for that type of experiment. ' And sound-proofed, to avoid disturbing others. Mr Gibson proudly points to the profusion of huge garden boxes on nil external areas and speaks of the -----------------..-... ~~ ...ffl, ·. ·:,;.,.;.,:" -,~. j-- •.'• . ' -+----+--~------.-- -~ ---------1---. ·_.-.-::--.:~. t· ·:::~i ----~::. . ... , ··- - ·· - ·· ., - -·- - . • PEDESTRIAN walkway will 1lve view into the Queensland Museum, with planes hanging from the cellln • The Art Gallery will have a water mill on one floor. Robin Gib,t_,, "Thn1's w ,y l'v hosen san4blas1Cd concrete.": And to the cusual ,•isitor, cv~n in the current ,tate of building, the walls have that lived-in look. Mr Gibson pointed to a wall at the top of the riverbank, overhung with green· plants. "Look," he says, "sec huw Ilic shadcJ and shadows do their own iOfl· It creates its own poetry." Throughou1 the complex, Mr Gibson has striven for unity between the Art Gallery, the Museum, the' State Library and the Performing Arts Centre with jts 2000-scat lyric · thrcatre, 200CHeat concert hall and amall Hpcrimcntal . theatre. Jmidc the Art Gallery, a water mall runa parallel with the pedestrian mall that connect, the different ·areas of the complex. I I I I I Under the walkway, says Mr Gibson, 11\c German tank from the Museum will sit. It is a condition or the tank stayinJ in 'Australia that it be under cover. One room is set aside for the gallery's artisans, the carpenters and 01hcr1 who make stands and equipment for exhibitions. But it's no second•class conditions for, , them. They will look throuah plants to· the aculpture garden. "There will be no .Indian• and no chiefs here," says Mr Gibson. "Everyone is part of the whole scene." The restaurant, O\'erlooking the river, ii divided into an upper arid J.J9.wcr section. The upper iJ for the brcakl)ecb. who arc dining before a show at the pcrformins arts centre. They will be able to leave without disturbing the civilised diner,; enjoying a more leisurely, cvcning-lon 6 repast. We stand at the main entrance to the art gallery, high above the river bank. "There will be larP.e glass doors hm," says Mr Gibson, 'and believe me the view will be magnificent coming or going." As lie delivers his tour spiel, Mr Gibson mostly UICI "we" and "the lcam", rarely "I". , He feels the project is a special team effort, partly bcc:ause the State Work • Department is the constructing authority. He points . to a helmeted workman 1CUfryin11 by. "ThJ.t fc_llow. knows !hat thal, Their cn children and g "It ii pilin old~." Mr Gibson workers and f . And~n and• public surpriiod; bu cnoup of tbo The Oovcrn wisdom in 1.oi the DUblic,111r ladder.- (9,r C "I can be says. "I have Sydney, I am board. "1he Quec none." Now we arc garden above Gibson; who Queensland lJ the vast comp "The whol terribly light," "Wherever ,you will be activities, even Did he I cultural centre "Oh, no. I create the con "We have the art1. We home because "In the i.ck • ta.. or Brisbane will cheaper for because there for ourata1es. "You cann aroliitevt pur. c:an and pr environment 1 Mr Glbso, 180-deane ar , up pzlii1 at t "Do·you k this area? he pedestrian w· Cook Bridge. feulble. "Imagine Cook Bridge c:oot or the rivenIde par ;dinner and Victoria Brid . "What an