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Transcending the Colour of Opals in the Griffins' Capitol Theatre

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Transcending the Colour of Opals in the Griffins' Capitol Theatre arts Article Garish Luxury and the “Constructed Landscape”: Transcending the Colour of Opals in the Griffins’ Capitol Theatre Annette Condello School of Design and the Built Environment, Faculty of Humanities, Curtin University, Perth 6845, WA, Australia; [email protected] Received: 18 July 2018; Accepted: 25 September 2018; Published: 3 October 2018 Abstract: Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin synthesized a modern crystallized interior within their Capitol Theatre design (1920–24) in Melbourne. The Capitol’s auditorium, a mine-like cavity, houses a constructed landscape, elucidating the link between architecture and geological references. Ornamented with prefabricated stepped plasterwork, the auditorium is inserted with opal-coloured light technologies. Through the concept of the “constructed landscape”, this article traces the garish luxury elements found within the Griffins’ Capitol auditorium to understand the design associations between Paul Scheerbart’s Expressionist writings on crystal-glass iconography and William Le Baron Jenney’s symbolic crystal cave. The Griffins’ architectural contribution to the Australian entertainment industry conveys both Jugendstil garden effects and Mesoamerican echoes through its elaborative prismatic ridges. Owing to its transcendental opal allusions, the Capitol’s auditorium shows a constructed landscape model and constitutes a form of garish luxury, exemplifying early Australian glamour. Keywords: garish luxury; constructed landscape; Jugendstil garden; modern architecture; prismatic Expressionists; Mesoamerican influences; early Australian glamour; opals 1. Introduction Entranced by the Australian landscape and its opal fields, geological works by Chicagoan American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s former employees, come to mind. The Griffins arrived in Australia in 1914 to execute their expansive vision for its new national capital city, Canberra (Vernon 2016). The Canberra scheme illustrated an enigmatic quality similar to the early German Expressionists’ architectural spirit in the form of imaginative forces found in Max Berg’s and Wenzel Hablik’s artworks (Weirick 1988; Van Zanten 1970, 2013). In creating a sensational space for enjoyment for the masses, the Griffins designed the Capitol Theatre (aka Capitol House; 1920–24) accommodating 2000 people—a ten-storey tower combined with shops, offices, and cafes—as a reverie of their unrealized Canberra Capitol Building. When entering the theatre’s auditorium, one is exposed to an array of abstracted prismatic plaster boxes (see Figures1 and2) installed along its walls, which, at that time, were economical to produce. The Capitol Theatre most definitely introduced a new technology to Melbourne by introducing changeable illuminated plaster boxes. The Griffins created plastered prismatic forms, resembling a Mayan or Aztec pyramid or crystal cave (Turnbull 2004). The naming of the building is significant, suggesting that the Griffins, in their own reactionary way, sought to produce a democratic building. Nonetheless, Melbourne’s opalescent plaster labyrinth was, and still is, spellbinding. Arts 2018, 7, 58; doi:10.3390/arts7040058 www.mdpi.com/journal/arts Arts 2018, 7, 58 2 of 16 Arts 2018, 7, 58 2 of 16 Arts 2018, 7, 58 2 of 16 Figure 1. Construction of the interior of the Capitol Theatre, Melbourne, with Walter Burley Griffin FigureFigure 1. Construction 1. Construction of the of the interior interior of theof the Capitol Capitol Theatre, Theatre, Melbourne, Melbourne, withwith WalterWalter Burley Griffin Griffin and and another unidentified person on the balcony, ca. 1923. National Library of Australia, nla.obj- anotherand unidentified another unidentified person onperson the balcony, on the balcony, ca. 1923. ca. National 1923. National Library Library of Australia, of Australia, nla.obj-137060834. nla.obj- 137060834. Used by permission. Used137060834. by permission. Used by permission. Figure 2. Walter Burley Griffin; interior view of the restored auditorium in the Capitol Theatre, FigureFigure 2. Walter 2. Walter Burley Burley Griffin; Griffin interior; interior view ofview the of restored the restored auditorium auditorium in the Capitolin the Capitol Theatre, Theatre, Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 1924. National Library of Australia, nla.obj-150346777. Used by permission. Victoria,Melbourne, 1924. National Victoria, Library 1924. National of Australia, Library nla.obj-150346777. of Australia, nla.obj Used-150346777. by permission. Used by permission. Located opposite the Town Hall on Swanston Street, the luxuriously appointed Capitol Theatre LocatedLocated opposite opposite the the Town Town Hall Hall on on Swanston Swanston Street, Street, thethe luxuriouslyluxuriously appointed appointed Capitol Capitol Theatre Theatre is isis largelylargely consideredconsidered toto bebe Australia’sAustralia’s firstfirst reinforcedreinforced concreteconcrete skyscraperskyscraper (Pont(Pont 20032003,, p.p. 75)75) ((seesee largely considered to be Australia’s first reinforced concrete skyscraper (Pont 2003, p. 75) (see Figures3 Figuress 33 andand 4).4). ScholarsScholars,, lookinglooking backback,, consideredconsidered thethe Griffins’Griffins’ Capitol Theatre’s auditorium ceiling and4). Scholars, looking back, considered the Griffins’ Capitol Theatre’s auditorium ceiling and wall andand wallwall designdesign asas thethe mostmost remarkableremarkable projectproject ofof theirtheir somesome twentytwenty yearsyears inin Australia,Australia, which at the designtimetime as waswas the the mostthe nationalnational remarkable capital.capital. project This theatretheatre of their projectproject some producedproduced twenty aa years conundrumconundrum in Australia, ofof materialmaterial which ornamentation,ornamentation, at the time was the nationalsomethingsomething capital. excessiexcessi Thisvely theatre bright. projectAcquiring produced reputations a conundrum such as the offinest material cinema ornamentation, in the world (French(French something excessively2017,2017, p. bright. 1),1), thisthis Acquiringtechnologicallytechnologically reputations advancedadvanced such venuevenue as isis the worthworth finest dismantlingdismantling cinema in forfor the itsits world EuropeanEuropean (French modernistmodernist 2017, p. 1), this technologicallyunderpinnings, advancedAmerican venueJugendstil is worth garden dismantling effects,, andand for Mesoamerican itsMesoamerican European modernist echoes.echoes. The underpinnings, Capitol auditorium’s highly ornamented metaphorical triangular crystals are set within a serrated lattice of Americanauditorium’s Jugendstil highly garden ornamented effects, metaphorical and Mesoamerican triangular crystals echoes. are The set within Capitol a serrated auditorium’s lattice of highly ornamented metaphorical triangular crystals are set within a serrated lattice of fretted plasterwork. Its walls are shattered into V-shaped prismatic compartments upon which a thousand concealed globes once poured light in a myriad of colours, creating a “prismatic torpedo-shape” (Boyd 1965, p. 186) Arts 2018, 7, 58 3 of 16 Arts 2018, 7, 58 3 of 16 Artsfretted2018 ,plasterwork.7, 58 Its walls are shattered into V-shaped prismatic compartments upon which3 of 16a frettedthousand plasterwork. concealed globesIts walls once are poured shattered light into in aV myriad-shaped of prismatic colours, creatingcompartments a “prismatic upon torpedowhich a- thousandshape” (Boyd concealed 1965, p. globes 186) interioronce poured landscape. light inIts ainterior myriad reflect of colours,s the kaleidoscopic creating a “prismatic opals as torpedodepicted- interiorshape”in Katherine (Boyd landscape. Susannah 1965, p. Its 186) interiorPrichard’s interior reflects landscape.novel, the The kaleidoscopic IBlackts interior Opal reflect(1921) opals,s aswherethe depicted kaleidoscopic “the incolours Katherine opal in sthe as Susannah depictedstones— Prichard’s novel, The Black Opal (1921), where “the colours in the stones—blue, green, gold, amethyst, inblue, Katherine green, gold,Susannah amethyst, Prichard’s and red novel,—melted, The Black sprayed Opal and (1921) scintillated…”, where “the (Prichard colours in [1921 the ]stones 1973, —p. andblue,138); red—melted, thegreen, novel gold, was sprayedamethyst, published and and scintillatedduring red— themelted, Griffins... ”( sprayedPrichard’ auditorium’s and [1921] scintillated…” 1973 construction, p. 138); (Prichard the. novel [ was1921 published] 1973, p. during138); the the novel Griffins’ was published auditorium’s during construction. the Griffins’ auditorium’s construction. Figure 3. Façade of the Griffins’ Capitol Theatre on Swanston Street, Melbourne. Photograph: A. FigureFigureCondello 3. Façade 3. (2010).Façade of the of Griffins’ the Griffins’ Capitol Capitol Theatre onTheatre Swanston on Swanston Street, Melbourne. Street, Melbourne. Photograph: Photograph: A. Condello A. (2010). Condello (2010). Figure 4. Back façade of the Capitol Theatre on Presgrave Place. Photograph: A. Condello (2013).(2013). Figure 4. Back façade of the Capitol Theatre on Presgrave Place. Photograph: A. Condello (2013). Arts 2018, 7, 58 4 of 16 Arts 2018, 7, 58 4 of 16 2. The Concept of the “Constructed Landscape” 2. TheReflecting Concept upon of the the “Constructed concept of Landscape”“constructed landscape” as a link between architecture and its geological references, the Griffins incorporated the use of the crystal and opal metaphors within Reflecting upon the concept
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