Missing the Mark Exhibition

Missing the Mark Exhibition

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Posted 2011-08-30 by Sean Goedeckefollow

Tue 30 Aug 2011 - Mon 27 Feb 2012

Don't like Federation Square? That's okay, nobody does. Still, it's better than some of the other proposals for a striking Melbourne landmark. If you visit the free exhibition at the Old Treasury Building on 20 Spring St, you can see for yourself what ideas were rejected – the crazy ones and the good ones alike. Come look at the Crystalline M-Shaped Building or the Yarra Crocodile, and wonder at what could have been.



In 1978 the Victorian Government wanted to provide Melbourne with an iconic feature: something that would be our equivalent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge or Eiffel Tower. (This new feature would also have to cover up the eyesore that was the Jolimont railway yards.) Possibilities came pouring in from all over the world, hoping to gain a lucrative contract and contribute to the Melbourne skyline. Unfortunately, out of over two thousand ideas, very few were practical – not to mention sane.



As it turned out, it all came to nothing. The judges for the competition, including Patrick McCaughey, the future director of the NGV, refused to be a part of the selection panel and the contest was forgotten about. One can only assume that they saw the overall tenor of the entries and felt that the whole thing was not being taken seriously. What would have happened had those judges been on the committee that judged Federation Square?

This was before the advent of digital planning or drawing, so these entries are, for the most part, beautifully hand-drawn. Despite the often bizarre nature of the subject matter, people seem to have put in a considerable amount of effort into rendering their vision for Melbourne's future.

All these entries are on display at the Old Treasury Building in an exhibition called Missing the Mark: The Melbourne Landmark Ideas Competition 1978. The exhibition will close on February 27, 2012, so you've got until then to see the hundred giant kangaroos or the Greek column taller than the Eureka tower. Why not take your family – or a historically-minded date – and make a day of it?

#cbd
#exhibitions
#family
#free
#fun_things_to_do
#galleries
#learn_something
#city
#singles_dating
#things_to_see
!date 30/08/2011 -- 27/02/2012
%wnmelbourne
182337 - 2023-06-16 01:56:32

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