Wonderland by The Electric Canvas; White Night Festival 2014 – the Former Metropolitan Gas Company Building, Flinders Street, Melbourne

            Created by The Electric Canvas, Wonderland was celebrated feature of the inaugural Melbourne White Night Festival.  The 2014 Wonderland consists of projections that transformed the buildings of Flinders Street once the sun set; turning the brick and concrete facades of early Twentieth Century buildings such as Flinders Street Station, the Metropolitan Gas Company building, the former Commercial Travellers Club building, the former Ball and Welch Department Store, the Masonic Club building and the former Forum and Rapallo Cinemas into brilliantly coloured canvases that showed off images of magic, carnivals, amusement parks and circuses. 

The White Night Festival in Melbourne is a State Government of Victoria initiative created by the Victorian Major Events Company.  Originally conceived in Paris in 2002, to make vibrant and dynamic art and culture accessible to large audiences in public spaces, Paris’ Nuit Blanche (White Night) has inspired an international network of similar programmes in over twenty cities globally, including Melbourne.

In 2013 Melbourne became the first Australian city to create its own White Night Festival, producing an all night event of light, colour and artistry.  The White Night Festival, now in its second year, is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Melbourne as Australia’s international city of artistic innovation, and celebrate the city’s commitment to modern and interpretive art, music and culture.

The former Metropolitan Gas Company building is a fine example of Neo Gothic style.  Designed by Reed, Smart and Tappin and built in 1892, the Metropolitan Gas Company building was originally faced in red brick and Waurn Ponds stone, but in the 1930s its facade had fallen in to disrepair and the building was refaced in synthetic stone, composed of ground Pyrmont sandstone mixed with white cement.  The building was the headquarters of the Metropolitan Gas Company for many years, and was then the headquarters for its successor the Victorian Gas and Fuel Corporation, until 1967 when the organisation moved to new buildings directly across the road (which have since been demolished).  After the Victorian Gas and Fuel Corporation's departure, for several years the building was occupied by Clark Rubber.

Taken on: February 23, 2014

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Wonderland

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White Night 2014

White Night Melbourne 2014

White Night Festival Melbourne 2014

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Flinders Street

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Metropolitan Gas Company

Metropolitan Gas Company Building

Reed, Smart and Tappin

Reed, Smart & Tappin

1892

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Sets appears in: • Melbourne White Night Festival 2014

Groups appears in: • Australian Images • Melbourne and Beyond more » • architectural photography • Architecture and Forms • My Australia • Australia-down-under « less

Camera: Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, f/2.8, 1/15 sec, 6.2mm, ISO 800 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS
Aperture:	f/2.8
Exposure Time:	0.067 sec (1/15)
Focal Length:	6.2mm
ISO:	800
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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