Dream Factory

Dream Factory - 17 May to 31 August

Opened in 1964 and scarcely known outside the world of GMH, the Technical Centre was a powerhouse of design and one of the most successful industrial design studios in Australia.

The drawings on display represent the work of nine designers covering a span of more than 50 years. Accompanied by quotations about style, technique and intent, the exhibition explores the activity of design and Australia’s industrial design history.

Some of GMH’s most significant and recognised cars are represented – the HK and HQ Monaro (Wheels Magazine’s Car of the Year in 1968), the LC and LJ Torana, the Statesman, the VN and VT Commodore, the Bathurst TR-X Torana and the eye-catching Hurricane concept car, on display as a scale model (on loan from the GMH).

Dream Factory also features a commissioned work by ceramicist Jia Jia Chen, Dream my Monaro. The scale model is both a homage to those who lovingly embellish their cars, and an envisioning of Jia Jia’s own ‘dream machine’ fabrication.

The Fishermans Bend studio is emblematic of the area’s strong history of research, design and technical innovation, determining what came off the production lines in Melbourne and other GMH production centres in Australia.

It was one of only three GM design centres in the world, the other two located in Detroit, the home of GM and in Rüsselsheim am Main, Germany.

The Technical centre was an integral part of Australia’s booming post-war manufacturing sector, demanding new plants, specialised facilities and head offices. Melbourne based architects Stephenson & Turner were commissioned to design the Technical Centre in their well-tuned idiom of rationalist modernism. Plans for the building and interior artwork are also on display.

The City of Melbourne is proud to present Dream Factory in the City Gallery, to shine a light on the highly successful and important era of design excellence nationally and internationally, all from within the city perimeter.

The City Gallery is a small exhibition space in Melbourne Town Hall which features central Melbourne-themed exhibitions. It commonly draws on Council’s own collection as well as external loans.