Stage Lights

Provenance

Camera: NIKON D850
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Settings: 14mm · f/5.0 · 2.5s · ISO 100
Paper: Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm

Overhead stage lights cast a muted glow across the proscenium arch at Bankstown RSL. Dust settles on the empty stage and velvet curtains, a silent, forgotten 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.

See certificate sample →

Shipping Free shipping over $250. Ships worldwide, rates calculated at checkout.

Returns Damaged in transit? We replace it. Full policy →

Ships within 10 business days · signed & numbered

In situ

01 PROVENANCE

Print datasheet

Title: Stage Lights
Series: Bankstown RSL
Catalogue: BRS-023
Process: Giclée
Captured: 6 February 2019
Camera: NIKON D850
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture: f/5.0
Shutter: 2.5s 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

A massive stage canopy hangs tilted above the bare auditorium floor at the Bankstown RSL. The canopy is roughly hexagonal in plan, its underside red, fitted with hexagonal light fixtures across its inner surface. The cabling that holds it up is uneven; one corner has dropped, leaving the canopy at an angle. Beneath it, the stage is empty, the curtains pulled back. The room around it shows the gridded panel ceiling and the rows of empty seats that ran the length of the auditorium. The canopy is the most physically present object in the frame.

Stage canopies like this one were standard in the larger 1960s and 1970s entertainment venues across suburban Sydney. They held the lighting rigs for cabaret acts, dance bands, and touring shows. The Bankstown RSL's canopy carried hexagonal fittings instead of the usual rectangular spots. The shape was probably an architect's call when the venue was redeveloped in the 1970s, picking up a hexagonal motif used elsewhere in the building's signage. By the time this photograph was made in February 2019, the canopy had been disconnected and was hanging on whatever cables had not yet been cut. The Bankstown RSL was demolished in March 2019. The canopy was scrapped with the rest of the building.

04 FROM THE FIELD NOTES

A massive stage canopy hangs tilted above a bare auditorium floor, its red underside still fitted with hexagonal light fixtures. The canopy's steel hinge mechanism sits bolted to the brick wall at left, heavy and industrial. Dust and debris cover the carpet tiles below. Beyond the lowered canopy, white panel doors line the back wall, lit by a cold residual glow. The ceiling above opens into a steel-framed fly tower. The scale is enormous.

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.