Cultural Exchanges
I had to go into Brisbane last week ~
Old & New in Brisbane, Queensland
And with business done, I couldn’t resist popping into the Queensland Art Gallery for a quick look!
Queensland Art Gallery
It always fascinates me how they are able to have such a beautiful big water feature in amongst the delicate art works! For the longevity of the exhibits the building is constantly monitored for atmospheric changes to ensure the works are never too hot nor too humid; so how, I wonder, do they keep humidity in check with all that water in the building? 
I liked the juxtaposition of this display composition
Mixed Cultures
All the craft-works in this group had been made in Queensland from local timber materials about the turn of the nineteenth/twentieth centuries ~
The shields and the woven basket made by the indigenous population, and the tilt top table made by a migrant Joseph Soblusky.
Queensland timbers, European design
Such beautiful designs and patterns from two cultural perspectives ~
I’m always taken by Margaret Preston’s work ~ I particularly love her renditions of native Australian flora, so this image of Sturt Desert Peas caught my eye.
Margaret Preston
However, the obvious indigenous influences in this work, painted in 1943, has in more recent times attracted criticism of her applying cultural designs without understanding their meanings.
QR Bench
Back out of the gallery and on my way home, I thought this was a nice little detail on the South Brisbane railway station ~ The platform benches with a QR (Queensland Rail) insignia.
Journey Jottings:
Where/When/How ~ What did I See, Hear, Smell, Touch, Taste?
- Queensland Art Gallery, June 2010, quick side-visit
- native timbers organically patterned with ochres / hewn structure
- echoes of soft voices
- water
- all encompassing space
- cultural exchanges
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