The Club Hotel's vintage raw beauty was a compelling subject to photograph. Its shaky floor boards, worn damp carpets, ripped-out fireplaces and wind-blown curtains evoked pathos and memory. Intimate tall-ceilinged guest rooms have more recently served as vagrants' quarters.
Within these bashed rooms beauty resides - soft pressed metal ceilings, curved double-sashed windows, cornices, wallpapers. These elements provide a counterpoint to the complex textures, colours and patterns found within the destruction.
On reading the last few lines of Cilla McQueen's poem 'Gossamer' (recited at the Consent to Demolish Hearing) I was inspired to photograph The Club Hotel.
This body of photographic work was presented in collaboration with Cilla McQueen's 'Gossamer' in the exhibition 'Gossamer' at Miharo Gallery, Invercargill 2020.