With my neighbour HH at my suggestion, we took a paid back stage tour of our Arts Centre, which includes Hamer Hall and the larger building without a name, known as the Arts Centre. It needs a proper name. Before Hamer Hall was named thus, it was the Concert Hall.
The tour, hosted by staff, one at the front talking and one at the rear to make sure we didn't wander away into the bowels of the earth, did not start well. Later HH and I agreed we were worried because she was hard to hear as she introduced herself inside Hamer Hall.
We walked outside and paused to hear her talk about the Arts Centre Spire, and she was marvellous, with her voice well projected and very easy to hear.
Some of what I heard during the tour I already knew, especially about the construction difficulties but there were things I did not know and were very interesting.
There is an excellent book called 'The Place Across the River', which covers the totality of the Arts Centre area and the history of what was formerly there.
I've always enjoyed such tours of buildings and places, and this was no exception and well worth taking. We were given a a coffee voucher to use at one of the Arts Centre food venues, so HH and I had lunch, but I forgot to use my voucher. I can use it any time in the future.
HH is a good talker and the time passed quickly. She turns 80 this year, but she won't tell me the date. Every second Friday she volunteers at the tourist Melbourne Information Centre. She is socially quite busy and has quite a large family who all live a long way away. Her son was a famous rugby...union? player and her daughter is a high achieving business woman, with a social conscience, and has received awards for her charitable works. Lol, HH says her daughter is so smart, she is scared of her.
Anyway, here are a few photos I snapped.
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I've forgotten about this painting, so I Guggled it and who would have thought? Up popped a photo I had taken of the same painting a number of years ago when we attended a concert. There are more of my photos there, I assume lifted from my blog. I didn't easily find out about the painting, so I gave up. I don't mind my photos being used but I should receive a credit for them at least. Marcus Wong wrote a very interesting post about the use of his photos and those of others, and how they brought down the company who stole their photos to use.
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Thousands of marbles are imbedded in a polymer surface.
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It looks like an amazing building - love the art work and a delightful day. Photo theft is rife on the internet.
ReplyDeleteMore amazing than I thought EC, and we didn't see it all.
DeleteI like the marbles in polymer art form. Colourful and quite quirky.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure I would be happy to see my photos being lifted from my blog to be used elsewhere but I suppose that, by publishing them online I can't really stop someone stealing them.
JayCee, no you can't really stop photo theft. I once used in post I found on Google of a Canadian maple leaf. A year or more later, the person who took the photo claimed ownership and I deleted the photo.
DeleteInteresting place. I've had complete blogposts stolen, with my narrative, my artwork photographed by me, appear in another blog under someone else's name. I put the fear of God into them and forced them, threatening legal action (!), to take the posts down. They were gone within an hour. I gues he believed I could actually do something!
ReplyDeleteI found it the same way, on Google.
I also told him I was alerting my readers to report any place his name showed up with my posts. Big guns heh!
It was actually kind of fun to see him running.
Boud, that's amazing, and great that you acted. Photos, well yeah, no. Credit them at least. But whole blog posts is beyond the pale.
DeleteBeautiful spaces.
ReplyDeleteSome were very lavish Bob, with some very functional.
DeleteThank you for mentioning this place. I would find some time to explore. Love your descriptions in the blog as always
ReplyDelete$25 for the tour Roentare, money well spent, plus free coffee.
DeleteThat hall looks like it's a combination of the classical, the modern, and the post-modern. My favorite is the mural (fourth photo down.) Looks like it was influenced by Edward Gorey.
ReplyDeleteKirk, you have pretty well got it. It was designed in the 70s and built during the 80s and subsequently modified.
DeleteWhat an amazing building! I had to laugh at HH's comment about her daughter. Once a woman told me that there was smart, but I was "scary smart". I found the most incomprehensible thought. I'm more afraid of dumb people, myself, and we have a lot of scary dumb people, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI'll wear that you are scarily smart Debby. Scarily dumb people will be Hilary's deplorables. Hillary was snobby and superior, yes. Accurate, yes.
DeleteThe parallel rows of lights look palatial. I wonder if it would be appropriate for a (large) suburban house.
ReplyDeleteSimply Hels, no.
DeleteI am glad you enjoyed your tour. I have zero culture and such things as Arts Centres mean very little to me. The place does look glamorous and I like the embedded marbles.
ReplyDeleteRiver, the post was not really about culture but the building, and it is quite something.
DeleteMy recollection from going to the opera there (now almost 20 years ago) is that the foyers felt like a cross between a casino and a bordello, with a bit of an underground parking station vibe thrown in because the theatre is basically underground. Not that I've actually got much experience of either bordellos or casinos to base this impression on.
ReplyDeleteI get that MC. Parts do, but most areas are quite constrained. I think it depends on which theatre foyer you are in. The interior design by Roy Grounds was in the 70s or 80s, well before casinos came into play here.
DeleteLooks interesting and even better you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI've found photos of mine obviously taken from my blog on several occasions on Discover Tasmania, they didn't ask then Narrandera Council/Shire did ask me. I expect new photos have been done by now for both.
Margaret, that's rather disappointing action by a professional site.
DeleteI know we were in the foyer many years ago but have no idea why. I do remember all the hoo ha when the spire was actually finished. It’s quite stunning to look at isn’t it
ReplyDeleteCathy, from a distance the spire looks great, but close up, it looks very shabby and in need of a good clean.
DeleteBackstage, behind the scenes tours are always interesting. The marble installations are fascinating. Marbles are so pretty individually.
ReplyDeleteJB, I've done a few tours like that and they are always excellent.
DeleteLiving in big countries! That foyer is enormous. Lovely set of photos.
ReplyDeleteThelma, there could be a few hundred people in some of these spaces when popular performances are happening, as we've experienced ourselves. It was so busy, we barely noticed the interiors.
DeleteLooks like a nice space
ReplyDeleteLots of spaces there, TP.
DeleteI love tours like that. During Doors Open here there are often tours backstage and they are so much fun, Andrew.
ReplyDeleteThey are Pat, and we used to take them during Open House, but the queues can be long, or you have to book in advance. I might try for some this year.
DeleteWow. Sounds like a fascinating, tour, place, and neighbor. Glad you had a good time. Sandra sandracox.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteIt was good Sandra, thanks.
DeleteThat painting is a bit creepy. It looks familiar, possibly because I remember it from your earlier post? I like the embedded marbles!
ReplyDeleteSteve, it is surprisingly difficult to find out what the painting is. I've had two tries, but I need to think laterally. Simply Googling is not working.
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