Architectural design (Auckland Museum)

item details

NameArchitectural design (Auckland Museum)

ProductionSteve Rumsey; photographer; 1948; Auckland

Classificationblack-and-white prints, gelatin silver prints, black-and-white photographs, works of art

Materialsphotographic gelatin, silver, photographic paper

Materials Summaryblack and white photograph, gelatin silver print

Techniquesblack-and-white photography

DimensionsImage: 337mm (height), 297mm (length)

Registration NumberO.027048

Credit linePurchased 1998

Overview

This black and white photograph was taken by Steve Rumsey in 1948 at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. The image depicts the stained glass ceiling in the middle of the building's soaring foyer, framed by two of the ornate pillars which are interspersed along the balconies of the third floor.

A visual game
In notes about Architectural design (Auckland Museum) written in 1997 and now in the Te Papa archives, Rumsey explains the theme behind the photograph: 'One of the things that concerned me about our early formal education was its objectivity. For example "Correct Architectural Perspective" requires verticals to be vertical (and therefore parallel), when in fact as any fool can "see", they never are! This photo was an attempt to produce an acceptable composition using a subject with strong vertical and horizontal elements of diverse form, while ignoring the dogma of "correct architectural perspective".' In this sense, Architectural design (Auckland Museum)is an illustration of an optical illusion in which parallel lines appear to meet rather than remain parallel. The photograph is a demonstration of the difference between optical effects and mathematical truth.

Photographing themes
Architectural design (Auckland Museum) is the earliest example of Rumsey's desire to create photographic images that illustrate ideas or themes. It is closely related to Infinity, another photograph by Rumsey in Te Papa's collection, which seeks to visually demonstrate what happens to right angles at infinity. While Architectural design (Auckland Museum) and Infinity represent mathematical ideas, Rumsey's themes are diverse, and include City, Creativity, Atomic Energy, and Male/Female. Te Papa owns Rumsey's photographic archive, a comprehensive collection of photographs that demonstrate his commitment to rigorous thought and formally radical images.