Auditorium Hall

Provenance

Camera: NIKON D850
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Settings: 14mm · f/4.0 · 3s · ISO 100
Paper: Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm

Decay consumes the auditorium hall within the former Bankstown RSL club. Empty seats face a silent stage, once host to community events and performances. Dust settles on forgotten histories.

Edition

Open edition

Open edition
Printed to order, no fixed quantity. Each print is hand-signed by the photographer.

Limited edition
A fixed number of prints exist. Once sold, the edition closes permanently. Each print is individually numbered and signed.

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Colour

Signed, numbered, with COA. Made to order in 10 to 20 business days (framed). Shipped in protective packaging with edition certificate, paper-stock reference and a printed care guide.

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In situ

01 PROVENANCE

Print datasheet

Title: Auditorium Hall
Series: Bankstown RSL
Catalogue: BRS-004
Process: Giclée
Captured: 6 February 2019
Camera: NIKON D850
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter: 3s s
ISO: 100
Focal length: 14 mm
Paper: Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm
Paper size: 290 × 200 mm
Location: Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia
Authenticity: C2PA verified provenance →
Recognised by: Highly Commended in Multimedia at the 2016 National Trust of Australia (NSW) Heritage Awards

02 LOCATION

Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia

Map · Mapbox · OpenStreetMap

03 THE STORY

About this print

The auditorium hall at the Bankstown RSL is the long view across the room from one end to the other, taking in the full sweep of the salmon-pink carpet, the gridded acoustic ceiling, and the stage at the far end. The hall is wider than it is tall, with the ceiling height held to the proportions of a ballroom rather than a theatre. Stacked banquet chairs sit along both side walls, leaving the centre of the floor clear. The stage at the end is darkened, the curtains drawn back to show the wooden floor and the brick rear wall. The lighting in the hall is the gridded downlight pattern of the ceiling above, most fittings dead at the time of the photograph.

The auditorium hall was the largest room in the 1955 clubhouse and the centre of the building's social life. Weddings, balls, debutante presentations, conferences, and the entertainment circuit all passed through this floor. Bankstown's auditorium ran into the late 2010s as one of the better-known suburban Sydney function rooms; the dwindling membership and the redevelopment plans together brought it to closure. The Bankstown RSL was demolished in March 2019. The hall, the salmon-pink ceiling, the carpet, and the stage all came down with the rest of the building.

04 FROM THE FIELD NOTES

A corridor stretches forward through open double doors. Blue-painted walls reflect dull light from somewhere off-frame. The ceiling is salmon pink, blistered and peeling in wide patches, plaster bubbling away from the substrate. A fluorescent fitting hangs dead overhead. Patterned carpet covers the floor in repeating diamond shapes, still intact, still holding colour. A sign on the right wall reads "Banks" before the rest disappears from view.

Brett Patman

The series

Bankstown RSL

2019 · 30 photographs

On 17 September 1928, 26 returned servicemen of the 1914 to 1918 war founded the City of Bankstown RSL sub-Branch. The clubhouse at 1 Meredith Street opened in 1955, with blue walls under bright red ceilings. The underground sports complex originally held a swimming pool, a squash court, a gym, and a sauna.

View all in this series →

05 SIZE GUIDE

Print sizes

The anatomy view shows what this finish is as a physical object: paper margin, mat band, frame depth, acrylic profile. The comparison strip shows how each size sits relative to the others at true scale. Click a size or a finish to update both.

Anatomy · true ratio