Not many people would purposefully visit a museum when it is closed, but I did exactly that during a recent short stay in Hobart.
Of course, the museum is no ordinary museum – it was the Museum of Old and Modern Art – and, actually, I did not have much choice about it being open or not as the only day I could visit was Christmas Day. Because of this, my partner and I had the place to ourselves, except when we greeted David Walsh with a ‘Merry Christmas’ as he was leaving the premises laden with presents (David Walsh being the founder and owner of MONA).
As it happened, the lack of other people was a benefit. It allowing me to properly frame my images without waiting for public to move along or having angles of view being compromised by queues of visitors.
Designed by Fender Katsalidis Architects, the museum buildings were awarded the prestigious AIA National Architecture Award in 2012. The exteriors of the buildings give only a small hint of structural and spatial drama contained within, but, for me, that experience was denied pending a follow up visit when the museum re-opens post Covid 19.
However, photographing the exteriors was, for the time being, inspiring enough. I could have spent the whole day there, but other factors limited my time to a couple of hours.
Those readers that follow my work will understand the appeal of the architecture and the opportunities for creating strong abstracts and for capturing those detailed elements that combine to form the overall design.
I particularly enjoyed the relationship between the Corten Steel, stone, timber, glass and grassed areas. These combined to present some interesting reflections, framing and patterns.
I hope you enjoy viewing the series of images I have compiled as much as I did taking them: https://www.martinleitchphotography.com/Personal-Projects/MONA/
A small sample:
