Curate Your Own Adventure

The suburb of Annandale in Sydney’s Inner West is filled with beautiful heritage buildings and stories of Australia’s convict and colonial past. An efficient way to see as much as possible is to walk down Johnston Street. I started my walk from Rozelle Bay Light Rail Station, however, the street can be directly accessed from Parramatta Road. Either way, I strongly advise you walk its entire length so you don’t miss out on seeing any of the architecture!

Annandale’s history can be traced back to the 18th century and Major George Johnston (1764-1823). Johnston captained one of the First Fleet ships transporting convicts from England to Australia. He also led the Rum Rebellion, a successful takeover of the Australian Government in 1808. For his service, he was granted the area of land around Annandale naming it after his birthplace in Scotland, Annan. What’s really interesting about this history, is that Johnston married one of the convicts on his ship, Ester Abrahams. She was essentially written out of this story until a memorial to her was unveiled in Johnston Street bicentennial park.

Long story short, their son, Robert, inherited their estate and land and in 1877 sold it to John Young. Young started to make the suburb look oh so pretty. And here is where our tour begins.

Stop 1: The Witches Houses

Very close to Rozelle Bay Light Rail are the witches houses – on the corner of Johnston and Weynton. They are named after one of the feature houses, Kenilworth, which has a roof shaped similar to a witch’s hat. This specific house was rented to Henry Parkes, a key figure in drafting the Australian Constitution. He also has a strong connection to Cockatoo Island and its first superintendent Charles Ormsby. Other houses in the group include the Abbey, Oybin, Greba, Hockingdon, and Highroyd.

The Abbey is, in my opinion, the most architecturally stunning. It has been built in a Gothic Revival style to mimic a Scottish Manor. It has gables, arches, gargoyles, a cloister, and a tower hence the nickname, The Abbey. For a while, the house was subdivided into various flats. In 1959, however, the whole house was purchased and restored to its former glory.

Unfortunately, there were originally another two houses in this set that have since been demolished – Claremont and Rozelle. According to photographs and early descriptions, Claremont looked almost identical to Kenilworth.

Stop 2: Uniting Church

This is a nice spot to stop between the witches houses and the Hunter Baillie Memorial Presbyterian Church. Originally built as a Uniting Church in 1891, the building now serves as the Annandale Creative Arts Centre.

Stop 3: Hunter Baillie Memorial Presbyterian Church

You will see the spire of this church long before seeing the actual church. It is, after all, the tallest chruch spire in New South Wales reaching a height of 56 metres. I did not get the chance to see inside, but, it is supposedly filled with marble.

Stop 4: Norton House, 33 Johnston Street

After trawling through quite a few websites, I finally came across some information on this place. I bothered looking because the house had the National Trust logo next to the gate along with its title, “Norton House”. According to its entry on the Annandale Association Register of Buildings, Norton House is a significant example of a Johnston Street mansion from the late 1800s.

Stop 5: Annandale House Gates

My final stop was at the gates to the entrance of Annandale House. George Johnston had this house built on the land in around 1799. It was demolished some time between 1905 and 1914 to make way for the Annandale Public School. These convict-built gates are all that remain. The gates also once led to the graves of George and Ester Johnston. They have since been moved to Waverley Cemetery.

All of these properties were once inscribed on the Register of the National Estate. Since 2003, however, this list has been discontinued and now acts more as an archive of information on over 13 000 places in Australia. In its place, two new heritage lists were created – the National Heritage List and Commonwealth Heritage List. The difference being that national has oustanding places of value and commonwealth has places controlled by the Commonwealth. These buildings are not listed as National Heritage List sites.

The level of community pride in these sites, however, has left me feeling not too worried. The Hunter Baillie Memorial Presbyterian Church, also, for example, collaborated with the National Trust to gain funds for conservation. I am going to keep positive that these buildings will be preserved and maintained!

Today I had a moment to quickly visit the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) and their new Primavera exhibition. I am trying to visit more art galleries this year. This is primarily because I would like to expand my knowledge of how their exhibitions are designed. As I only had thirty minutes, I decided to focus on one of the two rooms displaying Primavera artwork. For those who have visited, or plan on visiting, it is the room immediately to the right of the cloakroom.

My first question was, what is Primavera? I am not very tuned into the world of art so this was the first time I had even heard of such an exhibition. To my surprise, Primavera is one of the longest running exhibitions in the country! Essentially, it is an exhibition held yearly at the MCA showcasing artwork by early career artists. One condition is that artists must be aged 35 years or younger to have their work displayed. From such exhibitions, the MCA has acquired over 230 artworks. As it is Primavera’s 25th anniversary, the MCA decided to reflect on the meaning of the exhibition and display some highlight works.

First things first, the introduction panel was very informative and provided a great snapshot of what was on display. The artworks are grouped thematically focusing on transformation, time, and history.

The layout of the exhibition was, to me, very effective. The artworks are displayed inside a huge room. Considering only a few are on display, it was amazing that they seemed to fill the room. There was obviously a lot of care taken with the placement of the artworks and deciding how they would all work together in the shared space. As there is plenty of room to move around, I hardly noticed the other people and felt as though I was in a relaxed environment. I strongly dislike being jostled around and hurried along when I’m trying to look at something in a museum.

At the very back of the exhibition space was a feature wall. Well, it was actually an artwork by Agatha Gothe-Snape titled Emotional Wall with Everything Else. The whole wall has been divided into five sections, each painted in a different colour to represent the Lüscher colour test. In 1947, Dr Max Lüscher created the concept that you could measure an individual’s psychological state through their response to specific colours. Why the words “everything else” are painted on the navy wall is to allow visitors the chance to stop and reflect. Considering the other walls are painted a neutral creamy white colour, the artwork stood out and worked very well within the space.

My eyes were, however, immediately drawn to the artwork Native Gold by Danie Mellor. It was shimmering at the back of the exhibition space enticing visitors inside. On reading the object label, the significance of the piece comes to life. It is a commentary on ideas of authenticity and Indigenous identity in Australia. According to the lable, the gold represents the wealth of nineteenth-century Australia juxtaposed against the fact that it was of no use to Indigenous Australians. The animals are indeed real and had been taxidermied!

After exploring the far end of the exhibition space, I was very fortunate to hear about one of the artworks from a gallery officer. It made a huge difference to my experience – in a good way. I heard about how the artist, Rebecca Baumann, had lived in Berlin and was interested in the train locations and times flicking over on the screen. This has been combined with an experiment to see how many different colour combinations can arise from combining the three primary colours. What has resulted is a grid of 100 flip-clocks. Instead of numbers, each card is painted one of the primary-mixed colours. In a 24-hour cycle all of the discs flip over creating a randomly generated colour grid.

These were my favourite artworks in the exhibition space. Not only because they were aesthetically interesting, but also, because I found their stories and context to be engaging.

This is a major breakthrough for me. I have not had this kind of experience in a contemporary art gallery since visiting the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. Although just one room, it provided a perfect quick getaway from the crowds at Circular Quay. Thirty mintues is plenty of time to see the entire Primavera exhibition. Especially if you are just looking to walk around and not go into too much depth reading each artwork label. I do, however, strongly recommend that you read the labels. They weren’t as incomprehensible as so many tend to be in art galleries.

The exhibition will be running until the 19th of March. It is free to enter and also features on the MCA app. I did not spend my time downloading the app and working out how to use it in the space. If you are looking to further engage, or if you have more time, why not see how the digital has been integrated into the exhibition space.

Over the past few days I have been spending quite a bit of time in the Powerhouse Museum (or Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences). Some of this time has been spent wandering around their relatively new exhibition titled Icons. The basic aim of this exhibition is to showcase some of the treasures held in the museum’s collection. It struck me as a mix between their Recollect series, i.e. visible storage, and other, more narrative-driven, styles of display. There are a lot of objects, however, each has its own label and fits into one of the six sub-themes: luxury, celebrity, status, spirituality, value, and genius.

The introductory panel sets the scene, describing the collection of the museum as eclectic and extensive. Considering the museum collects anything and everything to do with applied arts and sciences this is a fair statement. For those of you unaware, the collection of the Powerhouse Museum can be traced back to around 1882 and the Sydney International Exhibition held in the Garden Palace. Three years after the palace was built, the entire building burnt down in less than forty minutes. As you can imagine, the vast majority of objects were destroyed. Luckily, a few did survive and these became the foundation collection of the museum. Today, the museum has over 500 000 objects.

The following are my icons in Icons – a list of objects that I found particularly interesting.

1. Garden Palace Elephant

This elephant was one of the first objects acquired by the Powerhouse Museum. Somehow, it managed to survive the Garden Palace inferno. People have speculated this is because it fell through the floor and was shielded from the flames.

The entire piece was carved from a single block of graphite which is pretty remarkable. Especially considering the detail around the ears and trunk. It has made my list purely because of its connection to the early days of the museum.

2. International Exhibition Medals

I have spoken at length about my love of 19th century international exhibitions. My first exhibition I curated focused on these exhibitions and the role that Queensland played. These exhibitions were so grand and spectacular. For this reason, they continue to ignite my curiosity.

There are four medals on display – gold, silver, and two bronze. My favourite was the bronze medal designed by William Wyon and Joseph-Francoise Domar. In the photograph below, it is the medal on the first row in the middle. It has made the list because it was awarded during the first international exhibition at the Crystal Palace in 1851.

3. Documenting an Icon

I still remember seeing the Sydney Opera House for the first time on a school trip in year 7. To think that I would eventually move to Sydney and see the Opera House almost once a week never crossed my mind. The building, therefore, is quite special to me.

These black and white photographs document the construction of the Opera House between 1958 and 1973. It is great to see the building at various stages. I can definitely see the intricacy of the design. Aesthetically, the photographs are displayed nicely and, to me, were very eye-catching.

4. Weimar Republic Currency

Despite walking around the exhibition countless times, I didn’t notice these objects until today. I loved studying the Weimar Republic at University. It is such a complex and rich area of history. These bank notes were produced in the early years of the Republic, prior to the hyperinflation that occurred from 1922 to 1923. That alone is interesting enough. What makes these notes extra special are the images that have been printed on the front of each note. These designs were inspired by a children’s fairytale. I think they are visually stunning.

5. Top-Secret Code Machine

Visiting Bletchley Park last year was an incredible experience. The following is an incredibly brief summary of the history. During the Second World War, the German military had a secret code that was deciphered first by Polish cryptographers then by the team at Bletchley Park led by Alan Turing. A reductionist summary that would leave all my history teachers with a migraine. If you are interested in this history there is so much out there to read.

On display is one of the original Engima code machines. It reminds me of why I became interested in museums in the first place. Reading history is just not the same as actually seeing an object from the past in front of your very eyes. To me, there is no substitute.

There you have it, a snapshot of my icons in Icons. Another thing I wanted to mention was the integration of digital technology. Right at the back of the exhibition are large touch screens. A few of the objects have been 3D scanned allowing visitors to view each object from all angles, zoom in, etc. This has been the result of great collaboration between the museum and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) students.

If you are visiting the museum for the first time this exhibition is a great place to start. In one space, you can gain an overall understanding of the museum and its collection.

I thought it was time to delve a little deeper into the Australian Dress Register (ADR). To summarize what I have said in previous blog posts, I started working with the register on behalf of the Queensland Police Museum. In total, I helped publish six police uniforms to the site. Links to these can be found here:

http://australiandressregister.org/garment/555/

http://australiandressregister.org/garment/562/

http://australiandressregister.org/garment/537/

http://australiandressregister.org/garment/571/

http://australiandressregister.org/garment/559/

http://australiandressregister.org/garment/554/

When I moved to Sydney, I started volunteering with the register itself. It has been an incredible experience. The following will provide you with some more information on the site, including my role.

What is the Australian Dress Register?

According to the website the ADR is “a collaborative, online project about dress with Australian provenance.” It is essentially a site that endeavours to provide comprehensive information on select garments from a range of Australian institutions and private collectors. If a garment has a story, we want it on the site. To date, we have over 160 participating institutions and over 200 published garments.

What information can I find on the site?

In order to capture as much information as possible, the register requires not only basic information about a garment, but also, its historical and social context. As well as describing the garment and commenting on its condition, contributors are also encouraged to share information on the garment’s provenance and history. This includes information on who owned the garment. The most important part of the entry is the statement of significance. This allows contributors to voice why they believe their garment should be published on the site and what information it can reveal about a personality, time period, or community.

What garments have been published?

The earliest garment published on the site is a tartan cutaway jacket from 1750. The dress register contains a diversity of garments including dresses, skirts, tops, trousers, waistcoats, jackets, and suits.

My role

My work with the ADR has been diverse. Since moving to Sydney I have been primarily involved with editing the site, uploading new content, and communicating with museums around Australia to encourage them to contribute. An average day working on the register will start with a team meeting during which we review new contributions and discuss what needs to be added or changed. After this meeting, myself and fellow volunteer Julie will begin researching the garments and editing the entries.

I have also had the opportunity to add my own entries to the register on behalf of the Powerhouse Museum. My favourite has been the Iced VoVo Dress:

http://australiandressregister.org/garment/602/

As you can see it is a very quirky and unusual garment.

What I enjoy most about the site is its ability to communicate Australian history from a textile and fashion perspective. I strongly encourage you to take a look at the site and uncover some of the fascinating stories behind the garments.

I want to conclude by saying that the ADR team is a fantastic group of individuals all with a passion for textiles and dress history. I am very grateful to have this opportunity to work on the site and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for 2017.

The Sydney Observatory is currently running tours to complement the new exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum, Egyptian Mummies: Exploring Ancient Lives. The tour runs for approximately one hour and takes place in the observatory’s planetarium. This review is going to be short purely because the tour was short and I want that to be the focus, not the entire observatory.

The tour starts with a forty minute documentary on Ancient Egypt and mummification. It was a bit like the documentaries you watch in eighth grade ancient history – a lot of re-enactments and dramatic music. It was kitschy but I quite enjoyed it. I was glad to have the opportunity to brush up on my general knowledge of Egypt. As my friend Alice pointed out, the video also had a great connection to the exhibition at the Powerhouse. Both observe how medical advancements have increased knowledge of mummies and mummification. The video covered how DNA can be extracted from a mummy and what this evidence may reveal.

After the video, we were taken on a tour of the night sky in Ancient Egypt, around 1200 BCE. At various stages the video of the sky was paused and Egyptian mythology of the stars, sun, and moon was explained. This was accompanied by the corresponding hierogyphs. For example, we learnt how the milky way was imagined as a goddess who swallowed the sun during the night. The name of the goddess appeared in the centre of the screen in hierglyphs. This part of the tour went for around 15 minutes.

Ancient Egypt is a fascinating topic by default. I thought this tour added a new layer of interpretation – it is quite different to what has been done before. I would recommend you see the exhibition at the Powerhouse and then take this tour.

Speaking of the Powerhouse, watch this space early next week for a guest post on this exhibition!