Showers

Provenance

Camera: NIKON D850
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Settings: 14mm · f/4.0 · 2.5s · ISO 400
Paper: Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm

A row of abandoned showers stands within the derelict Bankstown RSL. Rust stains the tiles and corrodes the fixtures, revealing the slow decay of a once-active community space.

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.

$100.00 AUD

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: Showers
Series: Bankstown RSL
Catalogue: BRS-029
Process: Giclée
Captured: 13 February 2019
Camera: NIKON D850
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter: 2.5s s
ISO: 400
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 showers at the Bankstown RSL are a row of tiled cubicles in the underground change-room area, each one walled in pastel-tile from floor to ceiling and curtained at the front. The tiles are the same pastel pink and white as the women's bathrooms above, with a matching feature row running across the middle of each cubicle. Chrome shower-head fittings sit at standard height, the heads dulled by mineral deposits. The cubicle floor is a non-slip tile in a slightly darker shade. A communal drying area runs along the wall opposite the showers, fitted with timber benches and steel hooks. The lighting is fluorescent strips overhead, dim with age.

The showers served the underground recreation wing of the 1955 clubhouse, where members rinsed off after the pool, the sauna, or the gym. The change-room block ran alongside the pool and the squash court, all in the same basement level. By the late 2010s the recreation wing had been wound down and the showers were rarely used. The Bankstown RSL was demolished in March 2019. The showers, the chrome fittings, and the entire underground bath area went down with the rest of the basement.

04 FROM THE FIELD NOTES

Olive-green ceramic tiles line the walls of a disused sauna and shower area. A timber-panelled ceiling runs the length of the room, fluorescent tubes hanging dead beneath it. Exposed pipes and a water filter cling to the left wall. A heavy door at the far end carries two signs: "No liquid to be poured on sauna rocks" and a red safety warning. Electrical panels cluster on the right. Cardboard boxes, bin bags and loose clothing sit on a blue tiled bench. The floor is mottled with grime.

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.