The Windsor: A Future for the Past

April 24th, 2015 to May 23rd, 2015

Concentrating on one of Melbourne’s finest architectural monuments, The Hotel Windsor, Papapetrou delves into the archive to discover how the grand Victorian edifice looked around the time of Federation, how it formed a backdrop for public ritual and witnessed the growth of Melbourne into the age of the electrical tramway. Joining forces with Stewart Russell from Spacecraft Studio, Papapetrou has transformed the photographic record, recreating the images in silver and gold, on linen and glass.  Her project isn’t about taking us back to the past but bringing the past into the future

Renowned artist Polixeni Papapetrou will bring the past into the future with her forthcoming exhibition – The Windsor: A Future for the Past – to be held at The Hotel Windsor from 24 April to 23 May.

Concentrating on one of Melbourne’s finest architectural monuments, The Hotel Windsor, Papapetrou has delved into the archive to discover how the grand Victorian edifice looked around the time of Federation, how it formed a backdrop for public ritual and witnessed the growth of Melbourne into the age of the electrical tramway. Joining forces with printer Stewart Russell, she recreates the images in silver and gold, on linen and glass revitalizing the scene with a suggestion of a glaze that keys with the glint of livery, polished cutlery, brass trappings and spangling ornaments. Her work at The Windsor handle old material but they don’t look old themselves.  The treatment is not nostalgic but more otherworldly, transfigured, extrapolated into a gilded projection.  Her project isn’t about taking us back to the past but bringing the past into the future.