Award-winning photographer Darren Bradley has trekked all over the world documenting the most iconic and celebrated architectural buildings. Yet, for Bradley, there is one city that has struck a chord … Canberra.
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"One of the things that makes Canberra so unique and special is the fact that so many of the buildings were created at the same time, by architects that knew each other, and they all designed these building to complement one another in a way that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world," Mr Bradley said.
But he is disheartened by recent comments from Chief Minister Andrew Barr about Canberra being "frozen in time" and hopes that governments and developers alike see the value in maintaining the "architectural soul" of Canberra.
"The thing that is special about Canberra in the first place, what gives Canberra its soul, its sense of place, is the unique circumstance under which Canberra was built," he says.
"And it's being erased on a day-to-day basis. Every time I come back more of these special buildings have disappeared.
"So many of these buildings are being knocked down in favour of glass blocks that could be anywhere".
He said what creates a sense of place is not the latest trendy bar, it's the built environment and the urban fabric of a city.
Mr Bradley is in Canberra to deliver a seminar for the Design Institute of Australia, Canberra's Modernist Soul, where he will showcase his work and discuss the future of the city's architectural identity.
He worries that many of Canberra's buildings have become "diluted" over time, with signage or refurbishments that detract from the original sense of beauty.
"When you think of all of the care that went into designing these beautiful buildings, which were treated, in many respects, almost as living sculpture, sculpture that was functional at the same time," he said.
"What happens over time is they get watered down .. and people don't understand it any more, understand what the point was in the first place."
He says his favourite pocket of the city is the stretch of buildings along University Avenue, between London Circuit and Marcus Clarke Street.
"The buildings there are really amazing, they're very minimalist and very blocky but in a way they do look like giant sculptures.
"The buildings where the Uni Pub is and The Cupping Room, it's one of the last areas that still has its original character from the '50s and '60s."
Canberra's Modernist Soul with Darren Bradley, hosted by the Design Institute of Australia is being held at the Shine Dome on Thursday April 27 at 6.30pm. Tickets are $15.
