Documenting Modernity

The Cost of Progress

Later in his career, Wolfgang Sievers struggled with the ethics of producing staged, sanitised and glamorised portrayals of industry and businesses, designed to promote those industries in advertisements and promotional material. It was clear that some industries impacted on the Australian environment in a negative way, such as large-scale mining and cattle grazing. Sievers’ images invariably excluded the very real impacts of such industries on the environment:

I am quite aware of the moral problems confronting a responsible photographer in industry … Should he use his skills to hide the terrible pollution and despoliation of our country—as I have? In creating beautiful images I have glamorised industries which have often been heedless of their sacred trust to use resources wisely and take care in the interest of future generations. In my defence, so far, I have found no valid answer to these problems.

Modern Living

In addition to his industrial work, Sievers documented the work of Australia’s emerging modernist interior designers and architects. Between 1946 and 1973, he carried out photographic work for leading Melbourne architectural firms such as Robin Boyd and Yuncken Freeman

An example of the ‘modern dream’ is portrayed in Sievers’ ‘richly coloured and beautifully structured’ images of new Australian hotels in places such as Brisbane, Toowoomba and Melbourne. 

When Sievers arrived in Melbourne in 1938, there were few modern buildings to photograph. This meant that he was able to document new buildings as they were constructed. Specific examples include many public-use buildings, including the National Gallery of Victoria, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and buildings being constructed at Monash University. In Australia, the modernisation of architecture could be seen in floor-to-ceiling windows and raked-style flat roofs; styles that became quintessentially Australian.

However, Sievers did spend time documenting older buildings throughout Australia. He took interest in buildings that were unique in their design or architecture. One such example can be seen in his collection of photographs documenting the interior of The Capitol theatre in Melbourne. The theatre was designed by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin and opened in 1924. It was one of the earliest examples of Art Deco interior design in a Melbourne public-use building. The intricate design of The Capitol’s interior sits at odds with the clean lines of modernist design; however, Sievers’ images of the interior take a modernist approach and focus on the lines and angles within the space rather than the space itself.

Sievers’ work is a pictorial timeline showing Australia’s social, technological and industrial transformation. The Modern Australia depicted by Sievers was young, vibrant, highly domesticated and industrialised.

Activities:

• Some buildings are considered ‘quintessentially Australian’, such as the ‘Queenslander’ style of house. What other building styles are unique to Australia? Why have they developed? What role do they play? Find other examples of ‘unique’ building styles from around the world. Use the Library’s collection to find examples of unique building styles. Use the Learning Webinar ‘Finding the History of your House’ for inspiration.
  
   
• Investigate an Australian industry. How has that industry changed over time? When did it begin in Australia? How has it grown? Do we still operate that industry? Prepare a profile on this industry and present to the class. For inspiration, explore the Digital Classroom module The Sell: Australian Advertising 1790s to 1990s – Cup of Tea?
  
   
• Have students investigate what industry their town is or has been known for. What role has that industry played in the development of the town?