Valves

Provenance

Camera
NIKON D7000
Lens
AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
Settings
48mm · f/4.5 · 2.5 sec · ISO 100
Paper
Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm

Rusty valves control defunct machinery inside the former Bradmill Denim factory in Melbourne. These controls once regulated the dyeing process.

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
Size
Type
Colour
Signed, numbered, with COA. Made to order in 5 to 10 business days (unframed). Shipped in protective packaging with edition certificate, paper-stock reference and a printed care guide.
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Ships within 10 business days · signed & numbered

In situ

Valves at Bradmill Denim, unframed print displayed in situ on a wall.Valves at Bradmill Denim, white-framed print displayed in situ on a wall.Valves at Bradmill Denim, black-framed print displayed in situ on a wall.Valves at Bradmill Denim, raw timber-framed print displayed in situ on a wall.Valves at Bradmill Denim, glass print displayed in situ on a wall.
01 PROVENANCE

Print datasheet

Title
Valves
Series
Bradmill Denim
Catalogue
BDE-026
Process
Giclée
Captured
18 March 2012
Camera
NIKON D7000
Lens
AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
Aperture
f/4.5
Shutter
2.5 sec s
ISO
100
Focal length
48 mm
Paper
Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm
Paper size
290 × 200 mm
Location
Yarraville, Victoria, Australia
Recognised by
Highly Commended in Multimedia at the 2016 National Trust of Australia (NSW) Heritage Awards
02 LOCATION

Yarraville, Victoria, Australia

Map · Mapbox · OpenStreetMap

03 THE STORY

About this print

The cast-iron valve wheels on the steel manifold controlled flow through the process pipework in one of the processing areas of the Bradmill mill. At its peak the Yarraville site was the third-largest water user in Victoria; the pipework that managed that volume was extensive and complex, reaching into every part of the factory. By March 2012 the valve wheels sat locked in their last positions, the large cylindrical vessel behind them heavily oxidised, daylight spilling through an opening onto the brick beyond. The air in the space would have carried the residual smell of rust and old chemical residue.

04 FROM THE FIELD NOTES

Cast-iron valve wheels line a steel manifold, their spokes thick with grease and grime. A large cylindrical vessel stands to the left, bolted and dark with oxidation. Overhead pipes angle downward into shadow. Beyond the machinery, daylight spills through an opening onto exposed red brick. The floor is black, slick with decades of residue. The air here would smell of rust and old oil.

Brett Patman

Bradmill Denim

The series

Bradmill Denim

2011 · 52 photographs

The Bradford family founded Bradford Cotton Mills in Sydney in 1927. The company expanded into Victoria in 1940, began producing denim in 1945, and grew into Bradmill Industries Ltd. The Yarraville factory on Francis Street was the country's only indigo denim mill.

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
TypeSizeWidthHeight
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