Glen Eira City Council Gallery, Caufield, March 2019
The proliferation of this typology between 1950-1960, due largely to a thriving consumer and car culture, transformed substantial tracts of suburbia. To meet the fast pace of the passerby, Melbourne’s six-pack streetscape adopted qualities of “automobile architecture” – eye-catching front façades with flashy porte cocheres and ornamental signage. Where émigré architects were concerned, these American influences melded with European ideals of cosmopolitan living, resulting in a pared-back glamour.
Taking cues from American artist Ed Ruscha’s photomontages along Sunset Boulevard, the installation featured rolling streetscape footage of Melbourne’s six-packs as viewed from the car contrasted with slow-paced entrance journeys. The film was complemented by a concertinaed booklet, describing the two-fold experience of Melbourne’s six-packs to be appreciated anew.
Exhibition, Contributor