Vernacular Architecture Identity Essay

Australia is filled with many different aspects in which makes it the country it is today. I believe it is important to study texts that explore aspects of Australia by studying texts such as ‘The Club’, by David Williamson, a play written in 1977 about an Australian football club and movies such as “The Castle”, directed by Rob Stitch in 1997, about the daily life of an Australian family when their happiness is threatened when developers attempt to buy their house to expand the neighboring airport. Both these texts show us what Australian life was like in the past. By us looking at themes such as language, tradition and the mateship shown we are able to explore different aspects of Australia that make it what it is today.

In A Home Is Not a House, Reyner Banham starts by arguing that the main function of the typic American house is to cover its mechanical structure. In fact, he states that the use of mechanical services in architectural practice varies constantly because mechanical services are considered to be new in the profession, as well as, a cultural threat to the architect’s position in the world. To show his argument, Banham states that American houses are basically large single spaces divided by partitions inside that give a relative importance to the use of internal mechanical services, causing a threat to the need of architectural design. Similarly, American cultural characteristics, like cleanliness and hygiene, also foster the use and need of mechanical

Another notable building is also located in Melbourne, on Little Collin St, the Yule House. As one of the earliest modern architecture in Australia, its style that features bands of glass set in geometric patterns of fixed and opening panes, a terracotta surface and dominant spandrels extending well beyond the surface.  (Johnson, 2002) Both buildings were constructed under the Great Depression and their completion incorporating new material, new technology and new style signified “the clouds of financial gloom were already lifting” (“History - Manchesterunitybulding.com.au” n.d.)  and boosted the morale fighting against the depression.The two building are well preserved and still in function in 21st century.

Wright’s 1945 poem, The Hawthorn Hedge, is a representation of the predatory power of the Australian landscape over those who refuse to unite with it. It details an unspecific persona’s attempts to establish security by planting a hawthorn hedge, separating her from a harsh, imagined landscape. The specificity of “the hawthorn hedge” reveals that this is introduced British species. As the hawthorn hedge is traditionally used as a natural fence, this clarifies that the persona is attempting to block out the landscape around her. Secondly, the fact that the hawthorn hedge is a British species suggests that the persona is also attempting to establish a reminder of her homeland, Britain. A tenet of Wright’s poetry is the strength of the true Australia and the concept of Australia’s break-away from Britain, exemplified in

The concepts of national identity is demonstrated through Felicity Castagna’s novel, ‘No More Boats’ as it conveys Antonio’s national identity as well as through Henry Lawson’s short story, ‘The Drover’s Wife”, as it depicts the concept of national identity in Australia through the Australian bush life. Fiona Allon’s novel, ‘Renovation Nation’, portrays the concepts of national identity through the context of migrant home construction in Australia. Throughout Felicity Castagna’s novel, ‘No More Boats’, it depicts the concept of national identity in Australia. Furthermore, through the quote, “white aluminium siding, aluminium eight-over-eights, yellow fibreboard shutters, high rectangular windows, crisp brown linoleum marking the path to the kitchen.

During the early settlement of Australia, art was primarily used for documentary purposes by ammeters and pioneers (Splatt and McLellan 1986, 1). The arrival of trained European artists yielded a wave of Colonial oil paintings (Manton 1979, 58), however, these artists were “…trained to regard the landscapes of Europe as the norm.” and therefore their work could not accurately portray the Australian identity and atmosphere (Splatt and McLellan 1986, 1-2). These Colonial artists “…retained the smooth, anonymous surface established by academic procedures and practice.” (Manton 1979, 58). As such, their European eye and techniques distorted the Australian landscape into picturesque, “park-like green hills and bubbling streams bathed in a gentle light.” (Australian Government, 2009), often grounded “….in the middle distance…” (McCaughey 1979, 7). In a stark contrast, the landscapes produced by Heidelberg School artists were lauded for their portrayal of the Australian landscape “…experience(,) realized fully in paint.” (McCaughey 1979, 7). Frederick McCubbin’s Bush Study (1902) exemplifies the difference between the work of Colonial artists and those of the Heidelberg School with its use of Impressionist techniques becoming “…an essential and explicit part of the painting.” (Manton 1979, 58). Within this work, the bush is treated as a familiar abundance and brought “…forward, virtually right up on to the picture plane.” (ibid). The “…iridescent palette and roughened paint texture…” of the work immerses the viewer allowing them to gather a sense of the heat dulled, melancholic Australian bush landscape (ibid, 54-58). McCubbin’s work, as with other Heidelberg School paintings, depict “…a world which is 'natural', self-contained, self-sufficient and paradigmatically Australian.” (Hills 1991,

Australia is a young, modern country made up of a diverse and multicultural population, therefore, it’s difficult to say that it has a single national identity. This essay will examine what Australia’s identity may look like, specifically, through art.

Sydney, centrally located on the eastern coast, is Australia’s largest and most influential city. Its multicultural nature, advanced infrastructure, state of the art technologies, scale of foreign investment and architectural ingenuity not only make for a highly desired international tourist destination but are all compelling evidence to suggest that Sydney is in fact an established city of the developed world. As in any developed city, there are a myriad of urban dynamics of change at work that have, and will continue to evolve the morphology of the Australian metropolis.

As Civil Architect for Sydney town, Greenway designed many Sydney buildings and monuments, some of which have become well known landmarks. Greenway’s projects that he completed wereincluded the lighthouse near South Head, the Female Factory, New Government House, the Supreme Court and many churches such as St James Church (as you can see in Figure 2). Greenway also introduced design elements that responded specifically to the harsh Australian conditions which were very different those in England. (Brash.N, 2008)

In the study of Australian modern architecture, the term regionalism has constantly been discussed. In an architectural sense, regionalism can be understood as an architecture that is derived from its local setting. In relevance to this, elements of regionalism can be found in the works of Sydney Ancher and Peter Muller, two figures that had significant influence in Australian architecture discourse whose works can be seen as being Australian. Nevertheless, as much as how their works respond to regionalism, the proof of overseas principles being adopted is clear.

Australia is one of the continents over the world. The vast, varied land and the culture in this abundant place has a deep and lasting impact to the architectural design traditions—Tectonic. Tectonic can be regarded as one distinctive characteristic which is relating to building or architectural construction. It also gives ability for people to read a structure, or see how a structure was put together. Among those architects who had used this tradition in their designs, Donovan Hill and Glenn Murcutt, as Australian architectures, have their own style relates to tectonic. For example, Donovan Hill composes different materials and layered against with one another in D House, while Murcutt establishes a harmonious connection to the surrounding landscape and local climate with Magney House.

Shelter has always been a necessity for mankind. We, as humans, have a relationship with the land that we must respect to live happily amongst it. Spaning back as far as the pre-Colonial Australia, indigenous Australians understood this connection excellently. Their shelters seemed to ‘bend with the land’ as they understood crucial elements within the architecture to compensate for distinctive climate and cultural factors to fit their nomadic lifestyle. Their living style was very minimalistic yet practical. The indigenous Australians only built what they needed to survive. For evidence of this, we will be looking at the text; ‘Gunyah, Goondie and Wurley: the

Simon Jackson in 2006 written Sacred objects – Australian design and national celebrations about the Australian identity and culture. He has discovered three very diverse types of writings to get a better understanding of how Australian industrial design has been called upon to establishing images of national identity, Starting with ‘white male’ national identity. Looking into 1988 Australian Bicentenary Simon says Australians looked to all areas of their cultural history (architecture, music, literature, the fine arts and design) to find material for the further development of their national identity. Design myths raised Bicentenary writings had no real evidence. Simon admits that Tony Fr was right about the industrial as ‘celebratory...or promotional rhetoric. From Industrial design to the myth of Pioneering innovation discussed explaining that the Australia’s

A key component of Australian culture today is not only their diversity, but more importantly, the

On his book on Modern Architecture, Curtis writes that modern architecture was faulted for it’s “supposed lack of ‘recognizable imagery’” towards the end of the 1970s. This statement supports the idea of Jencks’ double coding where architects must now make