Cultural Exchanges

Cultural exchanges in Australia ~

I was in Brisbane last week ~ And with business done…

Old & New in Brisbane, Queensland

I couldn’t resist popping into the Queensland Art Gallery for a quick look!

Queensland Art Gallery

It fascinates me how they’re able to have such a beautiful big water feature in amongst their 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

Two interpretations from two different cultures.

Yet all made in the same place at the same time from the same source of materials ~

All the craft-works in this group have been made in Queensland, about the turn of the nineteenth/twentieth centuries, from local timber materials ~

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?