An exhibition celebrating the work of prominent Goldfields photographer John Joseph Dwyer will open at the WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder on Saturday 12 May, 2012.
Exhibition co-curator Phillip Goldswain said the images in ‘An Everyday Transience’ offer a fantastic insight into what Goldfields life was like at the turn of the Twentieth Century.
“Dwyer came to the Western Australian Goldfields in 1896, a time where many changes to the area’s industrial, social and physical landscape were being made,” Mr Goldswain said.
“His images documented everything from the activities of the gold rush and the rapid urbanisation of the Goldfields, to the area’s semi-arid landscape.”
Dwyer’s camera also captured the social events and the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the Goldfields, depicting the range of cultural and community activities of the time.
WA Museum Chief Executive Officer, Alec Coles said pictures of crowds in the Kalgoorlie streets give an insight into the huge number of people living and working in the Goldfields at the time.
“Kalgoorlie-Boulder has a fascinating and rich cultural heritage. I am delighted that the Museum is able to display this exhibition, alongside its permanent exhibitions, to showcase the stories and history of this great region,” said Mr Coles.
Dwyer went on to become one of the Goldfields’ most popular and well-known photographers and by 1903 had his own studio. He developed a reputation around town as the go-to person for flattering portraits and also took industrial images for mining companies and the growing Goldfields press.
The exhibition was co-curated by Philip Goldswain and William Taylor from the University of Western Australia, who also edited the exhibition’s accompanying book which is available from the WA Museum Shop.
‘An Everyday Transience’ will be on display at the WA Museum - Kalgoorlie-Boulder from 10am to 4pm, from 12 May to 21 October, 2012.
Niki Comparti, Western Australian Museum
9212 3840, niki.comparti@museum.wa.gov.au
