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Photo Study: Capitol Theatre, Wolfgang Sievers

24 September 2020

Artist: Wolfgang Sievers

Title: [Ceiling detail, Capitol Theatre auditorium, Capitol House, Melbourne]

Author: Riya Daniel

Biographical information

Born in 1913 in Berlin, Germany
Studied art and worked as a teacher at the Contempora Lehrateliers für neue Werkkunst in Berlin, before fleeing the country at the outbreak of WWII, emigrating first to England and then to Australia. Served the Australian Army’s war effort from 1942 to 1946
Established himself in Melbourne where he remained till his death in 2007. First studio was in South Yarra; later moved to Grosvenor Chambers on Collins Street
His photographs were evocative of the dignity of labour, with his subjects mostly being industry and machinery at night time, lending a dramatic effect to its socialist ethos. His expertise was seen as instrumental in establishing postwar Australia as a manufacturing nation rather than a farming one.

Interpretive information

In the 1970s, Sievers’ photograph collections moved away from industrial subjects to a focus on architecture, particularly of buildings in the Art Deco style that was quickly gaining popularity in Victoria over the turn of the decade.
This photograph is one of several belonging to Sievers’ collection of the works of architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin in Melbourne, with the photographs of the Capitol Theatre being some of the few in the collection in full colour.
The Capitol Theatre is probably the most iconic example of Victorian Art Deco, with its vibrant, geometric ceiling, designed to evoke a crystalline formation. All of Sievers’ Capitol work seemed to focus exclusively on the ceiling detail.
The chromogenic photography technique used brings out the myriad of colours the ceiling design employs, serving to highlight the architects’ intention of it being a modern take on crystal formations in caves.

Descriptive information

The photograph is a close-up of the interior balcony of the Capitol Theatre on Swanston Street, Melbourne, focusing on the impressive ceiling detail the building is renowned for, using a fisheye lens.
The ceiling was designed by the architects Walter Burley and Marion Mahoney Griffin to resemble a crystalline cave, both from its ridged, geometric design, and the interplay of colours that Sievers’ photograph highlights.
This photograph was taken in 1975, when the theatre still retained most of its original design and lighting, before the Capitol was bought by RMIT in 1999 and received a renovation. The ceiling, which had been falling into disrepair by the 80s, was given a modern upgrade with LED lighting upon acquisition.

Contextual information

Though the Capitol Theatre was designed and opened in 1924, its Art Deco style stood the test of time, with Robin Boyd in 1964 describing it as "the best cinema that was ever built or is ever likely to be built".
It is the largest civic work executed by Walter Burley Griffin, with its style, lighting, and structural design far advanced for its time, and this could have influenced Sievers’ choice of lens and angle, given his existing expertise in industrial photography.
Griffin, who was the chief architect for the city of Canberra, received most of his acknowledgment posthumously – including for Newman College in Victoria and several buildings in Toorak. All of which form part of Sievers’ collection of Griffin’s work, along with his Capitol Theatre photographs, nearly 40 years after Griffin’s death.

Sources

https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE1861396&mode=browse