NZ visual diary - entry 98
fusion - Queen Street
This image was originally titled 'Queen Street dissonance,' but I have since reconsidered the claim.
Standing across the street from 125 Queen Street, I was struck initially by the visual dissonance between the 1880's facade on the south side of the building and the massive outdoor LED screen that wraps around the north corner of the building (at the corner of Queen and Swanson Streets).
However, after doing some research on the watchmaker Hublot and the history of the building at 125 Queen Street, a building often referred to as the Bank of New Zealand Tower Building, I have more nuanced understanding of the juxtaposition.
Hublot is a Swiss luxury watchmaker founded in 1980 by Carlo Crocco.1 The watchmaker is credited with having "perfected the art of fusion. This includes fusing of materials, joining traditional and modern design . . ." 2
And so it is with the Queen Street facade of the Bank of New Zealand Tower Building. The 1880s element has been fused with a circa 2014 renovation of the Queen-Swanson corner, which included the installation of (what was at that time) New Zealand's largest outdoor LED screen.
The heritage of the building is indeed a fusion of materials and temporal signatures.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hublot
https://blog.crownandcaliber.com/hublot-watches/