Summary

Part of a collection of images and documents recording 'Building 8', the Head Office and Administration Building at the former Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd factory site in Coburg, after the company had vacated the site. It includes 84 high resolution (raw file) digital photographs taken on 7 December 2012 and five plans showing the locations where the photographs were taken. Supplementary material includes log sheets detailing the location, GPS co-ordinates of the photographs and the particular camera lenses used to take the photographs, as well as colour prints of each image printed by the photographer, Peter Bennetts.

The series of photographs was created by photographer Peter Bennetts, who was commissioned by the new owners of the Kodak factory site, Satterley Property Group, who are developing the site as a new residential estate, 'Coburg Hill'. Kodak's Coburg factory site was in use from when it was constructed as a greenfields site in the late 1950s until it closed down in 2005, and for much of this time it was the only Australian manufacturer of photographic products. Building 8 was the last building left standing on the site after it was vacated by Kodak, and the series evocatively documents the building after damage through vandalism and fire. The building was subsequently demolished. The photograph series shows exterior and interior views of the building, with the interior shots showing extensive graffiti and damage. The series also includes views of the building's location on the site, and other extant landmarks on the site.

This photograph collection closely relates to the Kodak Heritage Collection of products, promotional materials, photographs and working life artefacts collected from Kodak Australasia in 2005, when the Melbourne manufacturing plant at Coburg closed down. The Peter Bennetts images are significant in that they trace the de-industrialisation of the site, showing its transformation as it heads towards re-development as a new housing estate.

Kodak manufactured and distributed a wide range of photographic products to Australasia, such as film, paper, chemicals, cameras and miscellaneous equipment. Its client base included amateur and professional photographers, as well as specialist medical and graphic art professionals who used photography, x-ray and other imaging techniques.

Description of Content

Exterior view showing the south-west side of a multi-storey brick building in a field. The building has a red brick wall on one side and a wall composed mainly of windows on the other. The building appears to have been vandalised as many of the windows are smashed or missing and there is graffiti along the bottom wall. Large roller doors positioned along the bottom of the building are covered with corrugated iron sheets.

Physical Description

Digital, colour photograph in raw file format

Significance

Statement of Significance:
This image documents the history of the Kodak Australasia Coburg manufacturing plant during its transformation from industrial site to residential estate. It enhances our understanding of de-industrialisation in Melbourne, a city that was once the manufacturing capital of Australia, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and also highlights the history of photographic manufacturing and retailing in Australia.

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