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

TheCourier,Mail [nrn rn ill~ [u] ill rn ill~~ rn ~ 11ew series or public ks 1implo but it is mplex. Catch that view ook Brid&e from here. n that before. lkin& along when you . gb a window and sec a t paintings, or you'll tho aanlen and-rou'II' blazes can I aet clown a view or tho· inside nd you'll be enticed in walking along here al ws youlll gel. The open' to the public 24 al Robin Gibson didn't ission to design the c as an excuse 10 lice, a monument. He's portunily lo bring the sland and works of art best possible wny. ** I lo be pretentious with y," he says. "As un I hod to provide I he for what the gnllcry s stuff want lo do in 1he public. , hip is like an orches– play in tune, it doesn't ! an individual you arc. aking 111usic, you arc ;\rt Gallery Director hsh later agreed. " rhis will undoubtedly 11nesl galleries in lhc rem Oc~ibilil y in ils ' · been espcclnlly designed to induce the visitor to nplore the various display areiu. • "The architecture will not take over from display. It will allow the artwork, great and small. to give off all ii has lo do with no competition from the building." Raoul Mellish said he and Robin Gibson had u great working relation– ship and he wasn't surprised because they grew up togc1hcr in the same s1rcet i~ Ycronga.J· Now inside the nallery, the perspec– tive and views keep changing. Huge galleries, smaller. more intimate, areas for viewing smaller objects, a print gallery, a lecture theatre. Robin Gibson points downstairs. "There's the watcrmall. II will have fountains and full-size trees." We wnlk through the complex and Robin Gibson gestures towards a huge wnll above un archwny. "Isn't it 11 marvellous space lo hang a painting"/" he says. "If someone would just give us a Turner. 'The fighting Tcmeraire· would do." There arc 14 galleries inside the building. The largest is the temporary exhibitions gallery, which is 1he size of two other galleries. There urc huge sliding doors at each of' 1hc four corners. "This is where the great exhibitions will be shown. whc1hcr lhcy come from France, China, Russin or 1\ust rulia ," says Rubin Gib,on. " I call lhis gallery lhe jewel box. II is fur the jewels of the art world . "A woman dues mll wear ull her jewels at one time, If' 1hc jewel box is clo,cd. we know that sometime or 01her it will open up and the jewels will be c,hibitcd for 11, . II i, important I hat we , hould know 1ha1 the tc1111>0rnry exhibitions gallery will always repre– sent quality." We walk into the temporary cxhibi• tions 1allery. The floor is covered with inlaid wood, e~cept for a border a few reel wide which will be covered with travertine imported stone. The change in material is not merely aesthetic. Robin Gibson stands facing a wall, his toes on the edge of the wood, and stretches his arm lownrds the wall. His palm is an inch or two from the wall. "You can't renlly look al a painting nearer than that. This change from wood 10 stone is a psychological barrier. If you slcp over h, you arc encro,tchins." While hc·s al it, he gets on lo one of his favorile subjects. He draws his thumb down lhc corner of the wall. Look 111 that plasterwork. he says. Like a knife-edge. ·, he workmanship al all levels on this job is marvellous because everyone hus a pride in the project. . There is a big gallery for the muin Austrulian collection. Everywhere wall,, wulls, walls. Acres of hanging space. Cun we fill ii'/ That's the job for 1he Queensland Art Gallery Foundation. Now we nre on lhe walermall level and we look up al the wide spaces. "Look :11 i1," he ,ays, "this can be an alive artwork. You can lei the inmgination go wild, sculpture, nying kiles. you name it." As we stalk throu~h the ga lleries. he says wouldn't thal be a beaut place for a 1apc.,1ry, nolicc how intimate the feeli ng is in the watcrcolor gallery. sec how lhu,c workmen walking on lhc high walkway add life 10 the place imagine whnt ii will be like when fnll uf' people, and if you look through that g:,llcry there and over the wei r and past the gnrdcn ,m1sidc you gc.1 an unusu:tl vic\Y of the ri\'cr nnd the npluin r>0k Bridµc *** outdoor dining and doesn't Brisbane netd it. Robin Gibson lakes us into the bowels of the centre and straight ahead is the Green Room which won't really be green but that's what they traditionally call the lounge where the ai:tou and artislcs have a snort before racing the cager public. The 2000-seal concert hall will be or, the right and the 2000-scal Lyric Theatre on the left. Thal means each has about four times the capacily of the SGIO Theatre. *** Robin Gibson says follow him and let's say the New York Philharmonic is the current nllraction, the orchcslra players will be in the Green Room,. walk up these steps, along 1his corridor and into the pil or on 10 the stage. Which is something like saying I danced with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince• of Wales because the project is still in, well, the formative singe and for the untrained eye ii is difficult 10 Jislinguish the finer points. Bui you gel what he means. · THE COURIER-MAIL - 21 The magnificent foyer, despite the conglomeration of pipes, wires, paving, scaffolds. is easier to visualise and it will undoubtedly be a lovely place to spend an interval for little drinkin and say what a ghastly bore the play is and isn't that the 11amc dress she wore at the premicre at the SGIO lho other night. The aim is lo complete the Perform• ing Arts Centre by the time of the Commonwenhh Games in October next year, so II will be some time yet before the thcspians try to out– Laurence Olivier on the boards of the Lyric Theatre, or the Queensland Symphony or the New York Phil– harmonic or whatever tootles the flute in lhe Concert Hall. · · Rut the Arl Gallery is in the last lap. Robin Gibson looks across at it and says: "The walls arc wailing for the artworks. The gardens arc waiting for the sculp1ure." Then, the most importanl ingredient. People. OVERLEAF: Major exhibi– tions for gallery opening. '\