The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 49 No 3 November 2010

Arch ive: Pottery in Australia. Vo l 23 . No 2. November December 19 8 4
article: Rom aldo Giurgola
Craft Works
in Australian
Architecture
Throughout many years of professional work. I
have come to see archllecture as the realisation
of a sense of place , which In liS uilimale form IS
dedicated to the resolution of the Inner contradic ­
tions In hfe and the balancing 01 opposite forces
ralher than to the mere restatement of them
Architecture ,n that sense elucidates the ponel'
pIes on which It IS bUill. and yet It IS not a demonstralian
of a theory: rather , II characterises a
place In Its human aspects and wllhln a human
dimension. Furthermore. It IS an architecture
neither alienated by fixed ends nor by what Ruskin
calls 'the fury lor the sight of new things': on the
contrary. II IS capable of revealing and containing
innate connections with both the hte of the
present and with pa st historical traditions.
'M ', but you say, 'what does all that have to
do with the crafts?' I would reply that those
connections I have been lalklng about are al the
basis of an architecture of human measure . a
measure uWmalely expressed by the relationship
between a manufactured object and a design
tradition: in a word. by craftsmanship. It IS. In
fact . in craftsmanship that a symbiosis between
matter and people is formed . one which requires
absolute honesty in the task of tran sforming
mailer into objects. The crafting of objects IS an
activity in which a maker 'Ieads' while obeYing
the natural laws. conscious 01 the infinite paten·
lials of materials but never submitting them to
an arbitrary whim. Thus craftsmanship is often
a paradigm. an exemplary model to industry,
to ptanning , to design , and to ethical behaviour.
Craftsmanship represents an attitude in life that
understands the making of the human environ·
ment as a sublimating process of giving and
laking . Furthermore. in respect to architecture.
craftsmanship is capable of providing the linkage
between the industrialised product and cultural
traditions . A timber product is a timber product,
both in Japan and in Scandinavia, but how differ·
ently it is laboured and tooled from one place to
another. and how important for human identity
that difference is ! The crafts in this sense are
an exponent of multiculturalism at its best:
natural materials worked by hand speak a univer·
sal language. equally understood by a Swede or
a Japanese, and yet they also are exponents of
their roots. their cultural traditions. and their
points of view. They are objects which, if of high
quality, have a form in which there is an innate
70
content as well the rich resonance 01 the cui·
lural tradition from which they come
From the very beginning of the deSign compelt·
lion for the new Parllamenl House . we we re
convinced that works of art and craft should be a
fundamental element In the architecture of the
bUIlding . The continUIng process fOf us slOce that
time of aCQu lrtng a knowledge of Austrahan art
and craft IS . In fact . the best chance we have
had to be closer to Ihe 'real Australia' and to ItS
particular view of the world. To work With artists
and craftsmen al the very Inception of a proJect.
rather than merely In the last fra ntic moments
of completion . IS fo r me essential. Just as it is
essential to work with surveyors. engineers.
economists . or scholars It IS not. however . a
popular Idea .
In Canberra . dUring Ihe beginnings of de Sign
development. my associates and I. including Pam
Berg (who is co-ordinating the works of art and
craft for the new Parliament House in our olllce).
prepared a conceptual approach to the develop·
ment of an integrated programme of art and craft
for the building. This approach was formulated
with the contributions of Au stralians from all
walks of life whose views we had sought. We
also began our own private work in the oH ice
with Individual craftsmen: for example . we invited
Peter Travis to come to work with us on colour
tong before materiats were beginning to be selec·
ted for the interiors of the building, and crafts·
men such as leon Sadubin were consulted (in
addition to the usual consultalion with industry)
on the chOice and handting of timber, and other
craftsworkers for materials such as metal and
fabrics.
The formal Art Programme . within which we have
been working for two years on the development
of individuaJ commissions. has many people invol·
ved. A national Art Advisory Committee made
up of artists. administrators. gallery directors,
historians, and parliamentarians was formed to
advise the Construction Authority. and a Curator
has been appointed to the Authority·s staff. The
existence of such a programme. planned carefulty
from the very inception of the building. is a rather
unique event as far as public buildings are con·
cerned. and it is not being implemented without
difficulties. But I an convinced it shall be suc·
cessful. since the art programme is an outgrowth
of the conviction in all 01 our minds that one 01
96 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS NOVEMBER 2010