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Life often presents interesting experiences, and I seem to have a habit of collecting them. It was by such serendipity that I met Urs. I had advertised in a local gym for male models to parade my original 'Speedo' swimming costume designs as a special event during my forthcoming retrospective exhibition. Since I was born in Manly, a prettier beach than Bondi and its rival, the exhibition was to be held in its Art gallery on the anniversary of my 75th birthday. These were garments that I had designed in 1959 for the summer of 1960/61. They were radical, designed for various age groups, and were stylish. Amongst the designs was the speedo brief that has become the universally worn garment for real swimmers, competitive and otherwise. A number of good bodied young men from about 25 to 40 answered and were willing to wear the garments. Amongst the guys was Urs, a young man with a special request: "Could I photograph the garments for my website?" The exhibition took place. The models paraded and Urs took his photos using his panoramic camera. At first I advised him to take the photos with a normal reflex camera and join the separate frames to make a continuous panoramic image. However, this was before I knew what he really wanted to do and that he was excited about a newly designed mechanism that made his panoramic camera different from others. But even more importantly, I was not yet aware of the passion that was driving him to document a city with which he had fallen in love. To my surprise I found that he was an economist who had taken a year's leave to reassess his future directions. He chose Australia as the place to spend his time for his introspection and leisure, but also wanted to do something creative. I was very impressed to find that he was going to publish the work also and that it was not just a dream but a dedicated exercise. Urs has made his own document of the love and joy of his experience in Sydney. 140 vignettes form the book, where his special camera plays strange tricks through distorsion, not to document the physical beauty of Sydney but to capture its 'joie de vivre' rather impressionistically.
Peter Travis Peter Travis,
75, Churchill Fellow, from Manly/Sydney, His ceramic works are represented in major collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and he has received many awards such as the Gold Medal Faenza/Italy. Among his textile works are 23 aerial sculpture installations in cathedrals and pavillions as well as 14 major aerial sculptural commissions for corporate foyers for Australia's leading architects. He was the sole designer for the National Parliament House in Canberra. Fashion Director for Speedo (1959-61), Head designer for Phillips Industries (1958-59) Specialising in teaching of colour over 40 years, currently lecturing post-graduate students in design at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Invited participant for colour conferences internationally.
© 2002 urs krebs |
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