Ancient or Modern?
In his book describing how MONA came to be, Adrian Franklin makes a telling observation:
"Everyone, it seems, loves MONA's architecture, but they weren't supposed to. They weren't supposed to notice it: it was meant to be neutral, buried, made of such functional industrial materials that it was meant to be a container, allowing the artworks to be the heroes. Nonda Katsalidis was the master of buildings that blend in and balance." ("The Making of MONA", p.110).
The wall I show you here is carved into the sandstone that runs along the banks of the Derwent. I've deliberately straightened the image vertically and allowed the natural contours of the lens distortion to create a monumental effect. You feel like it is on top of you. You are humbled by it. The people in this shot give you a sense of scale.
Once we make our way down through the labyrinthine three floors to start viewing the collection at the bottom, we come face to face with the original sandstone out of which this building was carved. It really is like going down into an old Egyptian temple, and for an antiquities lover like David Walsh, this is surely his intention. And like an Egyptian tomb it is very dark down here. I have lightened this shot considerably.
At MONA the building itself is a perfect three dimensional work of art. It is a triumph for Nonda Katsalidis.
Ancient or Modern?
In his book describing how MONA came to be, Adrian Franklin makes a telling observation:
"Everyone, it seems, loves MONA's architecture, but they weren't supposed to. They weren't supposed to notice it: it was meant to be neutral, buried, made of such functional industrial materials that it was meant to be a container, allowing the artworks to be the heroes. Nonda Katsalidis was the master of buildings that blend in and balance." ("The Making of MONA", p.110).
The wall I show you here is carved into the sandstone that runs along the banks of the Derwent. I've deliberately straightened the image vertically and allowed the natural contours of the lens distortion to create a monumental effect. You feel like it is on top of you. You are humbled by it. The people in this shot give you a sense of scale.
Once we make our way down through the labyrinthine three floors to start viewing the collection at the bottom, we come face to face with the original sandstone out of which this building was carved. It really is like going down into an old Egyptian temple, and for an antiquities lover like David Walsh, this is surely his intention. And like an Egyptian tomb it is very dark down here. I have lightened this shot considerably.
At MONA the building itself is a perfect three dimensional work of art. It is a triumph for Nonda Katsalidis.