ABC Local Radio Interview

I had an interview about my exhibition, Tasmanian Modern: The Forgotten Architecture that featured on local ABC Tasmania radio today at around 4pm. The exhibition was also hanged today, ready for opening this coming Monday.

Message on ABC Northern Tasmania Facebook by Drive host Roisin McCann:
"This is my favourite season in Tassie and it's also a great time to explore parts of the state. This afternoon on Drive I'll be talking with Thomas Ryan about his exhibition Tasmanian Modern: The Forgotten Architecture. I suppose that's buildings from 1930 to about the '80s. If you've any favourites let me know."

Petrol Station & Gararge No More

This former petrol station owned and operated as part of a farm block on Tasmania's East Coast is now a fading memory. There were many such buildings that farmers used to operate, but like many independent owned petrol stations & Garages around Tasmania, there are few and far between. The things I like about the scene are the flowers popping up out of the concrete, as if to show that life goes on. Also the petrol tank to the left that still has the "super" label on it, the lead petrol that stopped production many years ago now.

To view more photographs of Abandoned Architecture in Tasmania click here

Hobart Abandoned Shops

Within every city there are spaces and buildings that remain abandoned and ignored. You wouldn't find any tourist brochure advertising the run down areas of a city, and probably for good reason. But these abandoned places tell another story of a building, street, suburb or city. They provide another chapter of a city, other then the "highly airbrushed" areas.

This former commercial building in Hobart has obviously seen better days, and has been in this state for quite some time now. The classic modernist 1960s facade is visible, with many shops of the period adorning small square tiles to the facade.

To view more photographs & Photo Essays of abandoned buildings in Tasmania click here

State Library Of Tasmania - Hobart

The State Library of Tasmania in Hobart is a classic example of post post war glass curtain design, and is considered important because it was one of the first of it's style and type in Tasmania.  Designed in 1960, the patterns and reflections that shimmer off the glass and aluminum surface create a stunning focal point. This is just one part of the building complex which is vast in its size.

Photographs and Exhibition mentioned in local newspaper

A story promoting the May 2010 Tasmanian Heritage Festival appeared in the local rag, and my involvement and exhibition "Tasmanian Modern: The Forgotten Architecture" are also mentioned within the story.
click here to view a larger copy of the story.

Highfield House - Hobart

Highfield House is a red brick and cream finish Art Deco building in central Hobart. It's design style is similar to the Technical College building in Hobart. The Government owned building has been empty for some time now. The Government in 2008 had plans to convert the building into a homeless shelter, but has not eventuated and the building's future remains uncertain.

Tasmanian Modern Architecture Exhibition Goes National

My upcoming exhibition (9 days to go) "Tasmanian Modern: The Forgotten Architecture", has got a mention in the national publication "Australian Design Review" and Butterpaper online

Backstreet Brustalist Office Block - Hobart

This Brutalist period commercial office block is on the outskirts of the Hobart CBD. Typical of the style, there are geometric cube block shapes and raw concrete forms throughout, with the stunning cream bricks to the right, complemented by the windows to the central left. The symmetrical proportions aid in highlighting the overall impact of the office block.

Abandoned Tasmanian Petrol Stations - A common sight

A common site throughout Tasmania are former petrol service stations. Many are abandoned, whilst some have been converted into other uses. Some former stations are in such a bad state such as this one in Burnie I photographed in a previous blog. An end of an era in terms of what were often small family run businesses and in relation to the 50/60s style that were so common in many Australian cities and towns.

Lands Building - Hobart

The Lands Building is a Government Office block in Hobart CBD. It is a stunning Brutalist period design with its raw concrete and symmetrical details. The concrete details flow in an arch like motion to the ground entrance floor, rather than straight pillars. The windows are addictive for photography as much as they are to look at - their shape and form is stunning.

T&G Building - Hobart

The T&G Building - Hobart: In need of a little TLC

This is a rear perspective of the T&G Commercial complex in Hobart CBD. The T&G buildings were dotted all around towns and cities across Australia.


clock face view with damage
The building is in a good state, although it is at a stage of its life that it does need rennovations as the exterior fittings (such as the smashed clock facade), peeling paint and general wear and tear. A T&G Tower block at the other end of the country in Townsville block very similar to Hobart's was demolished a few years ago, and since then the block has remained empty. It's a somber reminder of how buildings that we take for granted can be removed so quickly - forever.

To view old photographs of some other T&G Buildings (including Hobart & Townsville) click here


The now empty site where the T&G similar to that of Hobart's tower stood in Townsville.

Burnie Paper Mill Closes Down

The owners of the Burnie Paper Mill, Paperlinx have announced that the mill will close, with around 140 workers to lose their jobs. The massive complex was documented in a previous blog entry, and it has a diverse range of industrial post war buildings. The familiar sights and sounds of the factory as one drives past to get to Burnie will soon be no more, and another chapter of Tasmania's industrial legacy will be lost forever.

A collection of fascinating photographs from the 1950s and 1960s of the Burnie Paper Mill by Photographer Wolfgang Sievers, who speicliased in Architectural photography can be viewed here. It's hard to believe that when his photographs were taken the Mill was only just over 10 years old!

Launceston Art Deco Home

Suburbia really does throw up some interesting Art Deco homes, including this one in Launceston. The concrete walkway and the well maintained garden really help show off the home.

The sweeping white streamline curves of the house are broken up by the chimney, which is also a major feature of the home. I like how the chimney curves at the base and gets narrower as you look upwards. Lovely to see all the original windows and blinds intact too.

Launceston Art Deco Home

This home in Launceston I really enjoy for its simple geometric forms that come together to create a visually appealing home. The 3 sections are almost like a mirror image that have been stuck together, and the garden is minimalist enough to both complement and show off the home.

Tasmanian Modern : The Forgotten Architecture Photography Exhibition

I am delighted to announce the photographic exhibition Tasmanian Modern: The Forgotten Architecture, as part of the May 2010 Tasmanian Heritage Festival.

Through my photographic exhibition, Tasmanian Modern: The forgotten Architecture, I'll be exhibiting a series of architectural images that explore and celebrate our islands modernist 20th Century Architecture. I have always been inspired and captivated by modernist buildings that are often ignored or detested.

The more I travelled around Tasmania and explored streets, back lanes and country roads, I realised the sheer ubiquity of modernist architecture that exists in Tasmania. These range from State Government buildings and schools; a huge variety of post war homes; a new design method for churches that reflected the needs of a post war society; and the imposing power of industrial buildings. Through my photography I aim to tell a story about these often forgotten buildings.

Although Tasmanian towns and cities have a wide range of architectural styles, it seemed obvious to me that 19th century buildings tend to be promoted in Tasmania almost to the exclusion of all other periods. And this omission of modernist architecture has been a significant driving force behind my passion to document the period.

All styles of architecture go through unpopular phases. I have read old books that bemoaned the destruction of Launceston's Georgian street-scape and its replacement with Victorian buildings. Today Launceston's Victorian architecture is rightly celebrated. Similarly, the Art Deco period, until relatively recently, was ignored and often demolished for re-development and supposed progress. The same destruction and neglect that happened in the past continues to occur with many post war buildings today.


As architecture helps to give us all a sense of place and identity, it's important to appreciate all periods of architecture. If we continue to destroy and neglect modernist heritage, we will bequest to future generations a much improvised architectural legacy.

I have a passion for the social history behind the buildings as well, which means hours of research into the architects who designed buildings and social spaces. Through my photography, I strive to create an emotional impact that moves beyond simply what a building looks like. I want to provide an emotional response through crafting images that show a buildings qualities, and visually document buildings in ways that are not often appreciated.

I enjoy working and shooting in moody and overcast conditions, as this often helps create a particular atmosphere to a building's presence. It's about waiting for natural elements such as light and shadows to aid in creating a truly emotive photograph. Sometimes this can take days, weeks or even months! Persistence is the name of the game in photography.

I like to go back to places I have visited many times and this helps me create a relationship with a locale or building. My journey to document our modernist heritage is ongoing as the built environment is forever changing, providing endless opportunities for the pursuit of capturing a fleeting moment in time. My photographs and historical research are as much about my own enjoyment of modernist buildings as they are an attempt to create an awareness of the importance of Tasmania's forgotten and undervalued architecture.


Whether it was the home, state, work, or church, no part of Tasmania has escaped the march into modernity. Our modernist buildings are central in shaping our collective identity. The photographic exhibition, Tasmanian Modern: The forgotten Architecture, aims to highlight the importance of modernist buildings and how they enable us to reflect upon our past whilst challenging us to reassess our future.

Thomas-Liam Ryan


Location:

View Larger Map

(be rest assured that the building does now exist, in the above google maps image it was still being built!)

Date: Saturday 1 May to Monday 31 May 2010

Venue: The Atrium Café, 113 Cimitiere Street, Launceston Time: Mon - Fri. 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Admission: Free

Marsden Flats - Art Deco Launceston

Marsden Flats are one of the larger set of units in Launceston. Designed in the late 1930s is stands opposite another deco landmark, the Lido Apartments. The period features are numerous and include the main red brick fence (see photo below), the detailing throughout the building facade that includes the main entrance portico. Other fascinating features are the triple bay garages. One of the garages stands beside Marsden (see photo below), whilst the other is at the rear of the complex.

As urban sprawl becomes more of an issue in many of our cities, buildings such as Marsden are a timely reminder of how unit dwellings can play a vital role in easing urban congestion and sprawl. Looking to our recent modernist past can help us progress into the future.

To view more Art Deco & Modernist Photographs from Tasmania click here

Royal Derwent Hospital/Willow Court Future Remains Unclear

Ward E main facade, designed in the late 1930s- Upon viewing the Modernist facade of Ward E, it's hard to not be impressed by it's sheer size and symmetry. The other wards that surround it are as impressive too.

In another twist to the ongoing issues surrounding the adaptive reuse of the former Royal Derwent Hospital site, it has been reported that there have been no successful bids for the purchase of the oval and/or 1930s buildings. If this his latest news is correct it leaves the site in limbo.

If there are no buyers in the immediate future there needs to be some kind of party to work alongside with an Architect to clean up and secure the buildings. There are 3 impressive modernist buildings that form part of the oval precinct, all of which highlight changes in health care facilities in the 20th century.

The rear staircase that connects wards D & E

Impressive Art Deco and Modernist functionalist features are apparent in all the buildings and their sheer size is immense. To lose these magnificent Modernist buildings as a result of further decay and vandalism would be a tragedy for the architectural and social landscape of the Royal Derwent Hospital and for Tasmania.

To view a photo essay of the former Royal Derwent Hospital complex click here