Post Occupancy - The Architect has Left the Building

Collaboration with Cox Rayner Architechts

The project was conceived as an investigation of how the architectural spaces designed by Cox Rayner over the past 15 years are actually being used. How do people use and appropriate these designed spaces. Or what happens after the architect has left the building?

In a way this project is a way to comprehend the diversity of activity and use of the buildings and spaces designed by the practice.   A way to see across time and space to apprehend and appreciate the momentary instances of interaction that occur  between occupant and architectural space on an everyday timescale. As after the architect has left the building or ‘post occupancy” there is the lived experience or occupancy of the inhabitants of the building which continues on.

Over two months in early 2005 I spent time at each of the thirteen sites covered in the study attempting to capture people in their occupation and use of a diverse and impressive range of architectural spaces within Queensland. I felt very privileged to be able to experience these spaces over a relatively short duration. My memory and experience of these spaces; these visions of people within an architectural frame still resonate with me.

 I was concerned in this project with representing both the lived experience of these buildings and spaces and also a view of the buildings from the outside or  how they are experienced within the context of their surrounding environment. In these exterior views I was concerned with capturing the building mostly in the early evening when the building is lit both externally and from within. At these times the building was in most cases experienced in a more transitory way as part of the wider contextual surroundings.

The contextual surroundings of the Judith Wright Centre, the frame suggested by the buildings form and the audience's occupancy of the space on the opening night created the  surrounding environment in which to present the work.

Project Team

Alexandra Gillespie - video, editing and projection.

Lawrence English- sound composition and recording.

Genevieve Staines and Jennifer Muller - project assistants.

Thank you to Michael Rayner, Ingrid Richards, Jason Bight and Kim Richards at Cox Rayner, Scott Walton and Paul Butler at 50/50 Film and Craig Walsh.