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An Everyday Transience : The Urban Imaginary of Goldfields Photographer John Joseph Dwyer
selected work
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Based in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, during the late 19th and early 20th century, John Joseph Dwyer captured the heart of Australia's Goldfields with his photography. His outstanding images comprised street and industrial photography, as well as underground and night-time photography, taking advantage of recent innovations in artificial lighting. Dwyer's work reflected approaches and viewpoints from across the globe, the developments and innovations in photography of that time, and the amazing changes that Kalgoorlie experienced at the turn of the 20th century. This book revisits Australia's Goldfields with over 150 of Dwyer's photographs, coupled with six essays and a short story by prize-winning author, Joan London. An Everyday Transience reclaims an integral part of Western Australia's mining history that was discovered following Dwyer's death and the subsequent sale of his studio. This is the first time many of these photographs have been made accessible to the public.' (Publication summary)
Contents
- The Photographer, single work short story
-
The Making of a City (A Pictorial Essay),
single work
biography
Note: still images
- Surveying the Field, Picturing the Grid, single work biography
- In the Still Darkness : Technical and Social Contexts for Viewing Dwyer's Mine and Night-time Street Scenes, single work biography
- Crowded Moments, single work biography
- Alice and Eddie, single work biography
- Mining the Archive, single work biography
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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[Review Essay] An Everyday Transience : The Urban Imaginary of Goldfields Photographer John Joseph Dwyer
2012
single work
essay
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Colonial History , no. 14 2012; (p. 284-285)'At first glance, this book presents as a sophisticated and cleverly crafted coffeetable publication. The photograph on the cover, set slightly to the right in line with the title, is an excellent example of successful experimental design, a feature echoed throughout the book. In fact, the imaginative arrangement of the photographs is what makes this publication so appealing at first glance. Delving deeper, however, this book is worth much more than a quick glance over a cup of coffee. Contained in the in-depth 'Introduction', and the six informative essays, are details of the life and work of photographer John Joseph Dwyer, and Kalgoorlie's past, that make interesting reading for not only an academic audience with an interest in the history of architecture, but also for anyone drawn to mining towns and their beginnings. There is something, too, for the keen photographer, fascinated by photographic technique and the history of photography.' (Introduction)
-
[Review Essay] An Everyday Transience : The Urban Imaginary of Goldfields Photographer John Joseph Dwyer
2012
single work
essay
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Colonial History , no. 14 2012; (p. 284-285)'At first glance, this book presents as a sophisticated and cleverly crafted coffeetable publication. The photograph on the cover, set slightly to the right in line with the title, is an excellent example of successful experimental design, a feature echoed throughout the book. In fact, the imaginative arrangement of the photographs is what makes this publication so appealing at first glance. Delving deeper, however, this book is worth much more than a quick glance over a cup of coffee. Contained in the in-depth 'Introduction', and the six informative essays, are details of the life and work of photographer John Joseph Dwyer, and Kalgoorlie's past, that make interesting reading for not only an academic audience with an interest in the history of architecture, but also for anyone drawn to mining towns and their beginnings. There is something, too, for the keen photographer, fascinated by photographic technique and the history of photography.' (Introduction)
