A JOURNEY WITH THE CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY
The new Centre for Contemporary Photography (CCP) in Melbourne, is a finely tuned alliance between architectural design and the role of a photography gallery or museum. As Susan Sontag claims, the role of the museum or exhibition space for contemporary photography is to undermine ‘the very idea of normative taste’ by offering ‘new conditions for looking at all photographs’, with the emphasis on ‘the subjectivity of seeing’.1 Melbourne architect Sean Godsell has created these conditions for the CCP, transforming the very ordinary brick shell of a 1960s foil factory, on the corner of George and Kerr Streets, North Fitzroy, into a series of gallery spaces that direct and engage the viewer.
In a mixed neighbourhood of old housing, new and converted infill housing and apartments, factories and businesses, the CCP, like the nearby converted MacRobertson factory, has retained and integrated, where possible, elements of the old building. Cream bagging of the exterior walls has translated the 1960s brick building into a minimalist box form. The original factory driveway and roller door have been retained, as have some of the wire reinforced factory windows; the roller door is now the main CCP security door. The driveway and wide entry give wheelchair access to the building, not possible, as Director Naomi Cass pointed out, in their previous premises, and the original back door and gate to the factory from Kerr Street is the CCP office and workroom entrance. Inside, the concrete floor holding the stains and patina of the factory history has been integrated into the new design.
In this public building Godsell has employed design strategies similar to those used in his houses, in particular his ‘journey’ theme. In a... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline