Port Chalmers from Boiler Point, by David Ogilvie
Robertson.
The future of a mural, recently uncovered in the Port
Chalmers Garrison Hall, was discussed at length yesterday by
Dunedin City Council representatives and interested parties.
The 20.4m by 3.6m mural was found behind hardboard walls
earlier this month during demolition work inside the
building.
It is believed the mural was created for a Japanese-themed
festival held in the hall in 1892.
Since the mural was discovered, there have been calls for the
council to investigate whether it can be preserved.
An article in the Otago Daily Times on October 3, 1892
said the Garrison Hall was set up to represent a Japanese
village, and included descriptions of the Island of Kinsu, a
Sintu temple, trading junks, a Japanese house, an old feudal
castle and the sacred mountain Fusi Yoma.
The fabric of the mural is now old and brittle. It is stuck
to the wall with a multitude of small tacks and the paint has
been described as water-based opaque.
Restoration or preservation would present many challenges.
Representatives from the Historic Places Trust, the Dunedin
City Council, the Dunedin Public Art Gallery,and the Otago
Settlers Museum met yesterday to discuss the future of the
mural as work on digging underneath the hall continued.
Following the meeting, which was not open to the public, DCC
acting property manager Rhonda Abercrombie said those
attending had agreed to investigate the mural's significance.
It was also a brain-storming session aimed at finding
possible ways to preserve the artwork, she said.
Discovery of the mural has created a resurgence of interest
in Mr Robertson's artworks.
Port Chalmers Museum president Norman Ledgerwood said an
album of Mr Robertson's paintings was donated to the Hocken
Library last week, and staff at the Port Chalmers Museum
recently discovered a painting titled Port Chalmers from
Boiler Point by the artist.
The painting was donated to the Port Chalmers Borough Council
in August 1952, and was hung in town clerk Bill Lloyd's
office for many years.
When the boroughs were amalgamated in 1989, the painting was
donated to the Port Chalmers Museum, where it has since been
stored.
"He was a prolific painter, so it is possible there are still
a few floating around Dunedin," he said.
john.lewis@odt.co.nz
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