When architect Jørn Utzon saw David Moore’s early images documenting the construction of the Opera House he described the photographs as “marvelous (sic)...by far the best I have ever seen”. Writing in early 1968, he added: “The Sydney Opera House needs to be seen with a great artist's eye such as yours to make people understand [the building's] poetic qualities.” It was a generous tribute to a fellow spirit, a photographer who was in communion with and acutely sensitive to Utzon's mould-breaking vision.
A new exhibition at Customs House in Sydney shows Moore’s images of the Opera House as it took shape between 1962 and 1979.
Moore himself called the Opera House, “a fabulous freestanding sculpture” and his meticulous application to documenting the construction process showed his passion for Utzon's work. Alternatively alive with the play of light and shadow, Moore’s prints talk of purity, precision and technical control.
‘David Moore: Capturing the Creation of the Sydney Opera House’ is on now at Customs House in Circular Quay. The free exhibition is open 10am-7pm weekdays and 11am-4pm on weekends. It closes January 26, 2014.
Sydney Opera House shadows – 1962. Photograph by David Moore.
Sydney Opera House steel reinforcing – c.1962. Photograph by David Moore.
Opera House roof geometry – 1966. Photograph by David Moore.
