About the Book
"Peter Corrigan has been a pivotal figure in the burst of creativity in Melbourne in recent decades, and is to a large part responsible for a new and distinguishable architectural language" - Conrad Hamann
"More ideas, less refinement" - Peter Corrigan
There are very few people who have had as profound an impact on contemporary Australian architectural culture as Peter Corrigan (1941-2016). His philosophy of "living a life through architecture" saw him tirelessly engage in teaching, writing, exhibitions, publishing, building and theatre, all of which was interwoven in a deliberate contribution of ideas.
Through his practice Edmond and Corrigan, established with partner Maggie Edmond in Melbourne in the 1970s, and nearly four decades of teaching at RMIT University, Corrigan shaped both the architectural fabric of his home city and the minds of several generations of Australian architectural practitioners. But while some observers have come to associate Corrigan's influence with the riotously expressive architecture he and many other Melbourne-based architects are best known for, it has had a much deeper register than this perception does justice to.
This book documents and celebrates the influence of architects Edmond and Corrigan on the architectural culture of Australia. It is a follow-up to the `Influence: Edmond and Corrigan + Peter Corrigan' event held in 2017 that saw current and former RMIT Architecture staff and students, as well as the wider community of practice, explore the influence of Edmond and Corrigan on their work. These accounts are leavened with a rich trove of previously unpublished correspondence, drawings and other historical material from the RMIT Design Archives, to trace the dense web of social relations and relentless creative production that saw Corrigan become such an influential cultural force in Australia, and most especially Melbourne.
Contributors include: Mauro Baracco, Nigel Bertram, Peter Brew, Andrew Dawson, Maggie Edmond, Harriet Edquist, Paul Fox, Eli Giannini, Phillip Goad, Conrad Hamann, Emma Jackson, Ian McDougall, Vivian Mitsogianni, Vera Moller, Father Barry Moran, Paul Morgan, Marika Neustepny, Christine Phillips, Mark Raggatt, Catherine Ranger, Leon van Schaik, Michael Spooner, Kerstin Thompson, Igea Troiani and many others.
Table of Contents:
10: INFLUENCE - VIVIAN MITSOGIANNI, 16: `BEST PROJECT FOR WHICH THE STUDENT COMPLETELY IGNORES THE STAFF': PROFESSOR PETER CORRIGAN AT RMIT - VIVIAN MITSOGIANNI, 22: THE LOCAL, THE MARGINAL AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO RESIST - MAURO BARACCO, 26: Athan House photos by JOHN GOLLINGS, 30: HUMAN DETAIL - NIGEL BERTRAM & MARIKA NEUSTUPNY, 42: IDEAS: PLURAL - PETER BREW, 46: Chapel of St Joseph photos by JOHN GOLLINGS, 50: STRUTTING - EMILY DAVIES, 56: EDMOND & CORRIGAN & THE RMIT DESIGN ARCHIVES - HARRIET EDQUIST, 58: TO SCALE THE HEIGHTS OF KNOWLEDGE FROM HERE TO ETERNITY - PAUL FOX, 60: Academic Centre, Newman College and St Mary's College photos by JOHN GOLLINGS, 62: EIGHT CHARACTERS: THE CAST OF THE CORRIGAN STUDIO - SENESIOS FRANGOS, 66: ARCHITECTURE STORIES - ELI GIANNINI & CATHERINE RANGER, 72: KPR, Freedom Club Child Care-Centre photo by JOHN GOLLINGS, 74: AN EVERYDAY NOBILITY: EDMOND & CORRIGAN'S KAY STREET HOUSES - PHILIP GOAD, 78: Kay Street Housing photos by JOHN GOLLINGS, 82: HISTORIANS' ARCHITECTURE: HISTORY ARGUED AND RECAST THROUGH BUILDINGS - CONRAD HAMANN, 88: Myers House photos by JOHN GOLLINGS, 90: PRISONS OF PERSONALITY (IF I WERE AN ISLAND) - PAUL VAN HERK, 94: Myers House Interiors photos by JOHN GOLLINGS, 98: FIZZING WITH MOXIE - PHILIP HUNTER (by DR VERA MOLLER), 104: FAITH AND DONUTS - EMMA JACKSON, 110: KPR, Church of the Resurrection photo by JOHN GOLLINGS, 112: `MOST PEOPLE ARE OTHER PEOPLE' - OSCAR WILDE - IAN MCDOUGALL, 116: THE IDEA OF A CULTURE - VIVIAN MITSOGIANNI, 122: Building 8, RMIT University photo by JOHN GOLLINGS, 124: STRIPES AND FOLDS, DIGRESSIONS AND DISMISSALS - DR VERA MOELLER, 129: Niagara Galleries extension photos by JOHN GOLLINGS, 134: INAPPROPRIATE ENTHUSIASMS - PAUL MORGAN, 140: Dandenong TAFE photo by JOHN GOLLINGS, 142: YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY IDEAS - CHRISTINE PHILLIPS, 146: Through the Looking Glass photo by JOHN GOLLINGS, 148: SPEAK WHAT WE FEEL, NOT WHAT WE OUGHT TO SAY - MARK RAGGATT, 150: King Lear by JOHN GOLLINGS, 152: CONNOISSEURSHIP - LEON VAN SCHAIK, 156: REASON WITHOUT REASON: PLAYING THE LONG GAME WITH PETER CORRIGAN - DAN SCHULZ, 160: VCA School of Drama photos by JOHN GOLLINGS, 166: A REBEL'S EXCURSION INTO PARADISE - MICHAEL SPOONER, 170: Oakleigh Fire Station photo by JOHN GOLLINGS, 172: DIGNITY WITH A MODESTY OF MEANS - KERSTIN THOMPSON, 176: Oakleigh Fire Station photo by JOHN GOLLINGS, 178: EDMOND & CORRIGAN AS AN ARCHITECTURAL DIALECT: A GENEALOGY FROM MELBOURNE TO ORIGINAL FIELD OF ARCHITECTURE [OFA] IN OXFORD ANDREW DAWSON & IGEA TROIANI, 182: (STRUCTURAL) RAKISHNESS IN 5 PARTS - ELEANOR TULLOCK, 186: Threepenny Opera photo by JOHN GOLLINGS, 188: GUARDIAN ANGELS INTERVIEW - FR BARRY MORAN, MAGGIE EDMOND & THE CATHOLIC PARISH BUILDINGS, 1974-84 BY CONRAD HAMANN & CHRISTINE PHILLIPS, 196: AN INTERVIEW WITH PETER CORRIGAN (2003) WITH SIMON DRYSDALE & ROBERT LUXFORD
