Wayfinder: Cate Consandine and Nicholas Murray at Conical, April 2003

摘要

Conical is a gallery situated in Fitzroy, one of Melbourne's inner-city suburbs. This'suburb, to the north of the original city grid that twitches away from the cardinal points to align with the river running southwest stretches from high ground on the magnetically aligned east-west axis of Victoria Street/Avenue, and continues in an orthogonal grid to Alexandra Avenue at the base of a long north-facing slope. Johnston Street divides the suburb in parallel, and is a major route to the eastern suburbs, bisecting Brunswick Street, Fitzroy's main north-south route. This suburb was both a first and a last for Melbourne: the first suburb beyond the original city grid and the last to embody an 18th-century model of mixed development, with grand terrace houses for the wealthy lining major streets, and mews and workers' cottages in the areas behind, along with a comprehensive mixture of shops, workshops and factories spread throughout. This mix has made it a vital part of the city's cultural life, as artists and dealers have found different niches for their activities at different stages in their careers.