Exhibition Opening & Talk - John Andrews: Architect of Uncommon Sense

Notes on Impermanence: the Works of John Andrews, Nakagin Capsule Tower, and Photography

Noritaka Minami is an Associate Professor of Photography in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, Loyola University, Chicago. He is well known for his images of the Nagakin Capsule Tower in Tokyo, by Kisho Kurokawa. Recently demolished, this was one of the most significant achievements of Japanese Metabolist architecture. He contributed the 'Coda' to the book John Andrews: Architect of Uncommon Sense (Harvard Design Press, 2023), editor & lead author Paul Walker, a suite of images of John Andrews buildings in Australia, the US and Canada in their current condition. A selection of these photographs appears in the exhibition, also titled John Andrews: Architect of Uncommon Sense, curated by Paul Walker & Kevin Liu, Dulux Gallery, Melbourne School of Design, 27 July - 1 September.

John Andrews: Architect of Uncommon Sense is a celebration of the great, yet under recognised, architect's work and its global impact. Now more than ever, Andrews’ designs are a shining example of how architecture can be used to address urgent environmental and urban concerns.

Toured previously at Harvard University’s Druker Design Gallery, Architect of Uncommon Sense showcases formerly inaccessible Australian archival holdings from the State Library of New South Wales, with a special focus on Andrews' Melbourne projects including the RMIT library and student union (completed as Building 8 by Edmond & Corrigan), the Melbourne Convention Centre, a scheme for the renovation of Flinders Street Station, and a project for medium density housing at South Bank.

Beyond Andrews’ work, the exhibition highlights Australia's late modern architectural heritage and the evolution of environmental sensibilities in Australian design culture, while investigating the challenges entailed in its conservation.

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