Our future was ours: Darren Sylvester loan to the National Gallery of Victoria

Our future was ours, a lightjet print made in 2005 by Melbourne artist Darren Sylvester was condition reported this week in preparation for its loan to the National Gallery of Victoria. The work of art will be featured in the artist’s first large-scale solo exhibition titled Darren Sylvester: Carve a Future, Devour Everything, Become Something shown at Federation Square from the 1st of March until 30th June 2019.

Conservator from the National Gallery of Victoria condition reporting Darren Sylvester's "Our future was ours"
Conservator from the National Gallery of Victoria condition reporting Darren Sylvester’s “Our future was ours”

The scene depicted in the print was staged and photographed inside the Baillieu Library. Our future was ours was purchased for the building in 2009 by the then University Librarian, Philip Kent, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Baillieu. It’s exhibition now in 2019 coincides perfectly with the Baillieu Library’s 60th anniversary.

News of the Popish plot

Dr McIlvenna performing an execution ballad from the Popish plot pamphlets.
Dr McIlvenna performing an execution ballad from the Popish plot pamphlets.

The 2019 object-based learning program created a headline through the Popish plot pamphlets which amazed students in the summer intensive course: The History of News from Street Ballads to Social Media. The Popish plot pamphlets are a compilation of bound printed items such as speeches, broadsides, poems, plays and ballads which are titled after the first publication in the volume: A true narrative of the late design of the papists to charge their horrid plot upon the Protestants (1679). Many brutal wars and plots took place across Europe between the Catholics and the Protestants after the Protestant Reformation was set in motion in 1517. It is a powerful and sobering experience to behold these pamphlets which are a physical record of religiopolitical terrorism. Plots such as those in 17th century England including this scheme to assassinate the Protestant King Charles II, had in other instances such as in France, resulted in the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre in which thousands of Protestants were savagely slain. The Popish plot, however, was later revealed to be a fictitious conspiracy invented by the priest Titus Oates, but not before alleged ‘papist plotters’ had been grimly executed.

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Faithful and frightening: The Renaissance imagination explored

A post by Mary Henkel who is an undergraduate student at the University of Melbourne studying Art History.

Enea Vico, St. George Killing the Dragon (1542), engraving after Giulio Clovio
Enea Vico, St. George Killing the Dragon (1542), engraving after Giulio Clovio

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After the Armistice: Longing for the Sunshine

Kelly Lenehan
“Never in my life have I seen such a real demonstration of joy. People were dancing and singing, bands were playing and the gloom that had hung over the world for over four years had completely gone. I felt glad that I had lived to see the day, and it was a sight worth three and a half years of one’s life to see.”[1]

Ray, Dorothy, Vic, and Rosie. London 1919
Figure 1: Ray, Dorothy, Vic, and Rosie. London 1919. UMA Ray Jones Collection Unit 1981.0081.00275

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