BLUESTONE: 150 Years of the Dennys Lascelles Woolstore
BLUESTONE: 150 Years of the Dennys Lascelles Woolstore
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Research statement
Background Bluestone: 150 Years of the Dennys Lascelles Building looked at the significance of the Dennys-Lascelles 1872 bluestone woolstore (Victoria’s first purpose built woolstore) and the architectural and industrial importance of the building for Geelong, Victoria and the Nation. The exhibition was much more than a celebration, rather a serious reflection on a building and truth-telling around the impact of this building for First Nations Peoples. The exhibition pursued the research question of how do we celebrate history given the troubled past of the industry? It also pursued the question of how do buildings “speak” in the life of a city and for an industry? Contribution The exhibition was shown from 16 September 2022 to 13 August 2023. It covered 700 square metres. Significant historical research was conducted to document the 150 year history of the building. The exhibition challenged traditional approaches to historical storytelling. The exhibition takes an innovative approach. It is created around two competing ideas: the history and the heart. The history presents an illustrated and object rich timeline of the building and the site. The heart gets us feeling the ongoing life of this place. It looks at the unique geology of the region and its deep past. It tells Wadawurrung stories and details the many faces of our past. Significance The exhibition was significant in three ways. It made serious and honest reflections on the foundations of wool in Geelong and Victoria by truth-telling about CJ Dennys acts of frontier violence. The exhibition involved extensive engagement with Wadawurrung knowledge holders and included a truth-telling section. Second, the exhibition was recognised by State Level peer review and recognition. A component of the exhibition “Your Museum Geelong” was Shortlisted for the AMAGA (Victoria) Awards for best small project. Third the exhibition had ongoing outcomes for research outputs. The article “Retelling the Wool Story: Exhibitions and History” is in prep.Recognition, awards & prizes
the exhibition was recognised by State Level peer review and recognition. A component of the exhibition was Shortlisted for the AMAGA (Victoria) Awards for best small project.Publisher
National Wool MuseumUsage metrics
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