Brisbane’s evolution from the 1800s will be showcased on a mega wall during a three-day exhibition, starting tomorrow.
The Cube, at QUT’s Garden Point Campus in the city’s CBD, will feature River City Stories in an initial run from October 1-3.
QUT Digital Collections librarian Jill Rogers said the exhibition, to be featured on a 8m x 3m LED wall, brought the history of the city to life through comparisons of the same locations caught on camera in different decades, and even centuries (see some examples below).
Ms Rogers said The Cube was the Brisbane university’s multi-wall, high-tech display space in QUT’s Science and Engineering Centre that was open to the public and featured digital interactive apps, research showcases and cultural exhibits.
She said, after its initial run, River City Stories would be added to The Cube’s rotating schedule for the remainder of the year.
“The free River City Stories digital exhibition features old and new photos of inner Brisbane – including the city’s streets, landmarks and mighty river – that can be browsed on the big screen and nearby interactive kiosks.
“The photos are all from the QUT Digital Collections – an institutional and cultural archive that protects a treasure trove of images and documents from the university and around south-east Queensland and beyond.”
Salvatore Fazio, from the QUT VISER team (Visualisation and Interactive Solutions for Engagement and Research), said River City Stories brought together old and new technology.
“Our new large-scale, high-res LED wall and interactive displays will showcase the detail of these amazing old photos in ways never before possible,” Mr Fazio said.
“River City Stories is about sharing Brisbane’s history through visual storytelling – seeing where we’ve come from and how our city has taken shape.
“It reimagines archive access, transforming historical collections into immersive, visual experiences.
“We’re turning hidden archives into engaging stories, bringing Brisbane’s history to life for everyone to explore.”
Ms Rogers said people could learn a huge amount about Brisbane city from these images.
“There are photos of the Brisbane River, its bridges, city churches, hotels and gardens, and landmarks like Central Station and Parliament House.
“All the photos were taken within the boundaries of a 1923 map of Brisbane that we have in the QUT Digital Collections – so within about 6km of the CBD.”
She said River City Stories would act as a “visual springboard” for people to dive deeper into the QUT Digital Collections, which is a free public resource accessed online by users around the world.
River City Stories will be open to the public from 10am to 4pm on October 1, 2 and 3. Entry is free.
