Constructing Faith in the Antipodes: Modern Church Architecture in Queensland 1945-1977(KADOC Artes)

The overlooked history of modern church architecture in post-war Australia Over 1,650 churches were built in Queensland, Australia, between 1945 and 1977. They constitute some of the most notable modern architecture in the state and reveal tensions surrounding modernism’s role in cultural expression and regional identity. While much research has focused on post-war modern church architecture in the Global North, little has been done on the Global South. This book offers a particular perspective on modernist church architecture, differing from accounts of buildings in the northern hemisphere, as it highlights how church architecture in Queensland was shaped by its very specific time and place – a young and developing state covering a vast area of land, sparsely populated, highly multi-denominational and located in the antipodes. Modern architectural developments and emergent religious ideas did not simply transfer to Queensland. Rather, architectural ideas were circulated globally, allowing for a global narrative. This landmark study seeks to broaden views and methods for future research, both locally and internationally. Richly illustrated, Constructing Faith in the Antipodes combines both a chronological and a thematic approach to narrate modern church architectural history and offers a fascinating glimpse into a distinct collection of modern church buildings.

About the Author :
Lisa Marie Daunt earned her PhD in March 2021 from the University of Queensland, Australia. An architect and architectural historian, Lisa’s work combines new design, heritage conservation, research and writing.

Review :
With a rapidly growing population in the post-war era the Australian State of Queensland built an astonishing number of churches in the modern idiom. Lisa Marie Daunt’s rigorous and comprehensive study shows how good many of these churches are and how well connected with the international architectural and liturgical discourse of their time. Daunt’s research, covering as it does every building of every denomination and every flavour of modernism, leads to powerful insights. Constructing Faith in the Antipodes is much more than a regional study; rather the size of the corpus of buildings, their high quality and Daunt’s astute analysis means that this book is an important addition to the global history of ecclesiastical architecture. - John Macarthur, The University of Queensland Lisa Daunt’s thorough and comprehensive historical research is impressive. Her book Constructing Faith in the Antipodes is inclusive, embracing a wide range of denominations and communities, and considering church types from traditional cathedrals to modern chapels, in cities and expanding suburbs as well as remote rural settlements. The context of twentieth-century Australia is unique and distinctive in many ways, and Daunt’s book provides a fresh and original view of the broader history of church architecture. - Robert Proctor, University of Bath