INTERSTICES 09

Long Live the Modern:
New Zealand’s New Architecture, 1904-1984

Curated and designed by  
Bill McKay and Julia Gatley

Long Live the Modern was held at the Gus 

Fisher Gallery, The University of Auck-

land, from 17 October to 22 November 

2008. It was curated in conjunction with 

the launch of the Julia Gatley-edited book 

of the same title, published by Auckland 

University Press. It coincided with Con-

structing the Modern City: Canterbury 

Architecture, 1940-1970, curated by Ian 

Lochhead and Jessica Halliday and held 

at Christchurch’s COCA Gallery from 

14 October to 2 November 2008. Both 

exhibitions celebrated New Zealand’s 

modern architecture and encouraged in-

creased heritage listing and registration of 

our modern buildings.

Drawings from the Architecture Archive, The University of Auckland. Photograph by Sam Hartnett.

Henry Kulka exhibits provided by the 
Kulka Foundation. Photograph by  
Sam Hartnett.

Inside Gallery 1, the black wall 
explained the role of DOCOMOMO, 
the international working party for the 
DOcumentation and COnservation of 
buildings, sites and neighbourhoods of 
the MOdern MOvement. Photograph by 
Sam Hartnett.



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An example of one of the eleven ‘stations’: 
Vladimir Čačala’s Blumenthal House,  
St Heliers, Auckland, 1958. New photo-
graph by Simon Devitt; period photographs 
by Ted Mahieu / collection of Bill McKay; 
and model by Clio Kei-Yan Chiu. Photo-
graph by Sam Hartnett.

Gallery 1 contained drawings, models, 
photographs and text focusing on  
eleven of the 180 buildings included in  
the book. Photograph by Sam Hartnett.

The banner sports the book cover.  
Photograph by Sam Hartnett.