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.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/374d3c23-f75e-4b04-8b23-47b6e4246bf0/9c314798-ae75-4b99-9e2f-190bb5822a60_rw_1920.jpg?h=bbd24bec85b46181948ef4328f16d0c8)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/374d3c23-f75e-4b04-8b23-47b6e4246bf0/988f66bb-19a1-44b0-87dd-878ca3e42497_rw_1920.jpg?h=9e58f5325657647a1482012a6c44d499)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/374d3c23-f75e-4b04-8b23-47b6e4246bf0/48df37bf-e457-4608-beeb-03d3140c33f4_rw_1920.jpg?h=034e06f4698b64ac77e39ee5e6f85b28)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/374d3c23-f75e-4b04-8b23-47b6e4246bf0/9bb5d1a3-8e16-4551-9eb7-ae9f7dbdef47_rw_1920.jpg?h=c477ada7487d04d181f88eec751ac04d)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/374d3c23-f75e-4b04-8b23-47b6e4246bf0/476519f2-48a6-4eab-8265-aee28198cbd0_rw_1920.jpg?h=4077835e3e9fa872d96e44ca706987bf)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/374d3c23-f75e-4b04-8b23-47b6e4246bf0/bc72e62a-5ad0-49bc-88b6-2f639e0cf617_rw_1920.jpg?h=608495b8980f09493956ad9f861102a1)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/374d3c23-f75e-4b04-8b23-47b6e4246bf0/eba0d848-7d29-4db4-a913-1fc35dd2a863_rw_1920.jpg?h=bba4bb298e6ad6f5e1a7f8c07f51cb55)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/374d3c23-f75e-4b04-8b23-47b6e4246bf0/81a251d2-0dab-4522-8f3c-3c4f679e00e5_rw_1920.jpg?h=4b277ecb7977b906dcbd7df439114e57)
Cilla McQueen recites her poem 'Gossamer' at the opening of the exhibition 'Gossamer' Miharo Gallery Invercargill 14 February 2020