REMAKE / REMODEL:THE PM’S READING ROOM
WEEK 2:
THE READING MACHINE DANIEL RIDDELL S3053091
Harold Holt Born Died Time in Office Education
August 5th 1908 in Stanmore, NSW December 19, 1967 – Point Nepean 1966-1967 University of Melbourne 1927-2930 Wesley College Melbourne
Harold Holt, Australias 17th Prime Minister came into power when Sir Robert Menzies, who had served as Prime Minister and Liberal leader for 18 years stepped asided and ceded power to Holt. Prior to succession to power Holt had been deputy leader for a decade and treasurer for 8 years. In total he was in ploitics for 32 years. In his younger years before his marrage he was known to be fond of the social life, an ardent racegoer and had a reputation as a playboy according to fellow polititian Dame Enid Lyons. Holt contested his first election as leader in November 1967 against Labour leader Arther Calwell. Holt and the Coalition easily won with the largest parliamentary majority since federation. Holt held office for exactly 22 months, ending on the 17th of December 1977 when he dissapeared in rough seas off Cheviot Beach.
“All the way with LBJ” Holt was responsible for expanding Australias involvement in the Vietnam War in response to Lyndon Johnson’s decision to escalate the war in South East Asia. At home this lead to community unrest about the draft and the rising tide of casualties. Though this aparentl had no impact on the Coalitions overwhelming victory in the November 1966 election. One of Holts most notable acheivments was his breakdown of the White Australia Policy, which among other things, ended the distinction between Eurpoean and Asian imigrants. other significant events during Holt’s time as Prime Minister inlclude the creation of the Australian Council for the Arts; the 1966 Referendum in which Australian’s voted in favour of giving the Commonwealth powers to specifically legislate for indigenous Australians and to let them be included in the Commonwealth Census; completed the phasing in of the decimal currency; and the historic decision in 1967 not to depreciate the Australian dollar in line with the pound sterling.
Though undoubtably the most significant event Holt is remembered for is his death on the 17th of December 1967. Around noon of that day Holt lead a group of friends including his mistress to Cheviot Beach on the Mornington Peninsular. To the objections of his friends he decided to go swimming, where a short time later he dissapeared from view. After 2 days and one of the largest search operations in Australian History the governement made the announcement that Holt was presumed dead and Country Party leader John McEwen was sworn in as care taker prime minister. His untimely death and the fact that his body was never found sparked many alternative theories about his disapearance, including the accusation of him being a spy for the chinese who picked him up in a submarine; UFO abduction; and suicide. A coroner’s report in 2005 found that he had drowned in accidental circumstances. At the time of Harold Holt’s disappearance, Malvern Council had been constructing a swimming complex in the suburb of Glen Iris, the complex to be called the City of Malvern Olympic Centre. In 1969 with the complex close to being finished, the Council decided to change the name. Not seeing the irony of naming the swimming complex after a Prime Minister who had been lost at sea whilst swimming, presumed drowned, the Council named the new complex the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre. It remains so named to this day.
RESEARCH:
ART & DESIGN INTERNATIONAL
ELROD HOUSE: JOHN LAUTNER
The Elrod House, arguably one of Lautners best known houses was commissioned by designer Arther Elrod in 1968. Lautner eschewed the International Style chamipioned by Gropius, van der Rohe and Corbusier in favor of an organic style of that of his mentor Frank Lloyd Wright. Organic shapes, monumental construction and world class design create an extraordinary experience of space that Lautner himself described as “timeless” architecture Situated on a commanding hillside in the desert outside Palm Springs, California, its best-known feature is the large circular “sunburst” concrete canopy which appears to float above the main living area; this area also incorporates a large natural rock outcrop at the edge of the room, creating the impression that the fabric of the building is fused with the rock. The epitemy of excess and flamboyance, the house was the scene for the 7th Bond film; ‘Diamonds Are Forever’, and countless photoshoots, including being named Playboy magazines ultimate batchelor pad.
THE DOORS: THE DOORS The Doors where among the most controversial rock acts of the 1960’s, due mostly to lead singer Jim Morrison’s wild, poetic lyrics and charismatic but unpredictable stage persona. He is often regarded by critics and fans as one of the most iconic, charismatic and pioneering frontmen in rock music history The band, made up of lead singer Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger, released their first album, self titled The Doors in 1967. Their first single ‘Light my Fire’ reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The band, particularly Morrison became known for flouting the law. On September 17 1967 Morrison ignored censorship requests to replace the word ‘higher’ for ‘better’ on the Ed Sullivan Show for ‘Light my Fire’. On another occation while performing a concert at New Haven Arena in New Haven, Morrison became the first rock artist to be arrested on stage during a performance after baiting the police about an incident before the show. Een more controversial was the origins of the bands name, taken from the book, ‘The Doors of Perception’ by Aldous Huxley detailing his experiences from taking mescaline, the principle agent of the psychedelic cactus peyote.
JAGUARE E TYPE
The Jaguar E-Type a British sports car, manufactured by Jaguar between 1961 and 1974 is often touted as the most beautiful car of all time. Its combination of good looks, high performance, and competitive pricing established the marque as an icon of 1960s motoring. More than 70,000 E-Types were sold during its 13 year production run. The E-Type was also a successful racing car internationally, notably Bob Jane won an Australian GT Championship at the wheel of a lightweight E-Type. The E-Type typified 60’s cool and is one of only 6 cars to be added to the permanent collection of New York City’s MOMA recognising the significance of the E-Types design.
RESEARCH:
ART & DESIGN NATIONAL
AUSTRALIA SQUARE: HARRY SEIDLER
Australia Square was a landmark retail, office. plaza and parking development in Sydney’s CBD completed in 1967. The tower element was the tallest building in Australia (50 floors or 170m high) from its completion to 1976. The development was one of the first in Sydney to contribute usable public space back to the city. Australia Square was of the first modern internationalstyled office towers in Australia. In 1967 the building won the Sir John Sulman Medal for its innovative and appealing design. The tower pronounced Sydney as a world class international city. The tower is constructed of lightweight concrete, with 20 projecting vertical columns tapering to the summit and supporting a combination of interlocking rib-structured reinforcement and radial support beams. At the time it was built, from 1961-1967, the tower was the world’s tallest light weight concrete building.
NORMIE ROWE
Normie Rowe was one of Australias most popular male singers in the mid 60’s. Rowe released a string of hits on the Sunshine Records label that kept him at the top of the Australian charts. He also had mild success in the UK in 1966 - 1967. Controversially his career was cut short when in 1967 he was drafted for compulsory mility service. His tour of duty in Vietnam ended his pop career. He was never able to reach the same peaks upon his return. Every move of Rowe’s basic training at Puckapunyal took place in the full glare of the media spotlight. He was shipped off to Vietnam in January 1969, and he served his tour of duty there with distinction, rising to the rank of Corporal and was Crew Commander of his own armoured personnel carrier. He was discharged from the army in February 1970. Rowe suffered from his experience in the war with, there was a strong anti-war sentiment among the people, who at times took out their anger on veterans. The same people that previously brought his records now treated him as a pariah.
FORD FALCON XR GT
The XR Falcon was the second generation Falcon in Australia, introduced in September 1966. The marketing focus on the Falcon’s relationship with the Mustang’s sporty appeal led to Ford introducing a Falcon GT variant of the XR in 1967, featuring a V8 engine sourced from the Ford Mustang. The GT heralded the dawn of the Aussie muscle car. So popular was it that it spurred Holden onto introduce its first V8 in 1968 in the HK. All of the original XR GTs were painted in the colour ‘GT Gold’, except for eight that were “Gallaher Silver” and another five that were “Russet Bronze, Sultan Maroon, Polar White, Avis White and Ivy Green”. The non-gold GTs, while having the same specifications, are the rarest of the early Australian muscle cars.
CRITICAL REVIEW:
THE BALL CHAIR FURNITURE
THE BALL CHAIR:
The ‘Ball Chair’ or the ‘Globe Chair’ designed by Danish designer Eero Aarnio was first presented in public at the 1966 World Furniture Fair in Cologne, though it was designed in 1963. The chair originally consisted of a polished fibreglass body on a swivelling base with an upholsted fabric inside and cushion. The chair is one of the best representation’s of 60’s culture, yet still modern looking 50 years later.Eero’s initial goal was to create a dffferent kind of chair, something new and unseen before. After some initial drawing and refining, the shape had become so simple it was merely a ball. The chair stands out for its lack of decoration or embelishment. The ball shape, one of the simplest and elegant shapes, fuses the back and seat element into one. The chair becomes more than a chair, it becomes an inhabitable coccon of comfort and shelter in which the occupier can arrange their body in any number of contortions.
In its simplest essence the chair about purity of form, taking a simple geometric shape and subtracting the space required to inhabit it. The chair eschewed traditional furniture construction at the time for a new industrial designed form. The prototype mould was made using the same principles as a glider fuselage or wing. Due to its simple geometric form and radical appearance the chair appeared in many science fiction films and tv shows.
DRAW:
READING MACHINE