- Title
- Silhouettes
- Creator
- Chapman, Michael
- Relation
- [Drawing] Newcastle Municipal Baths, City Arcade, Newcastle. (Newcastle, N.S.W. 17 October - 20 November, 2021)
- Resource Type
- design
- Date
- 2020
- Description
- This project explores the excavation of a forgotten Victorian era swimming pool in the CBD of Newcastle NSW, which was buried in place under the construction of a 1940s Civic Arcade. The pool is still accessible through an access hole in the floor of the still functioning L-shaped commercial arcade. The project draws its inspiration from 1) the original volume of the trussed roof over the pool that was removed to make way for the art deco arcade. The historical space is revealed in numerous archival photos of the interior and is recreated in the architecture in both section and silhouette, 2) the original proposed rules of the baths from the 1880s (also located in the archives), that specifically separated genders for decency except for a fleeting crossover moment at 5pm each day, when men were vacating, and women were entering the baths and 3) the courtship rituals of the Adélie penguin, which involves a structured courtship dance and the acceptance or rejection of a pebble or rock from a potential partner, used in the construction of a nest. This aligns with (and challenges) the original gendering of the space, laid out in the rules. It is also a tribute to one of the original swim clubs at the baths (the “penguins”) and the universal relationship between love, time and emptiness.
- Subject
- architectural drawing; animation; heritage; unbuilt architecture; Newcastle Municipal Baths
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1515348
- Identifier
- uon:56888
- Language
- eng
- Reviewed
- Hits: 87
- Visitors: 84
- Downloads: 0