The story of Cloudland, an iconic ballroom that loomed over Brisbane from its perch in Bowen Hills for more than forty years, is a perfect example of a city’s transient state. Demolished in darkness in 1982 despite public demand for preservation, the building literally disappeared from Brisbane’s landscape overnight.
Robyn Stacey’s exhibition reminds us that cities are not permanent — buildings come and go. She uses the ancient photographic technique of camera obscura — blacking out rooms and allowing light to enter through a small hole, turning the entire room into a skewed photographic version of the world outside — to capture Brisbane landmarks that are as much a part of the city’s identity as Cloudland was ... and as impermanent. The results are dreamlike and disorienting, forcing the viewer to see the city as something not quite real.
Robyn Stacey: Cloud Land exhibits at the Museum of Brisbane from 18 September to 3 April 2016. Robyn Stacey will also discuss her work with Shaune Lakin as part of the Brisbane’s Open House’s Speaker Series on 20 September.