The Architect and the Artists: Hackshaw, McCahon, Dibble

Description

A beautiful and important book about the remarkable collaboration between the modernist architect James Hackshaw (a member, for a time, of the famous Group Architects), the painter Colin McCahon and the then young sculptor Paul Dibble on 14 New Zealand buildings - from churches to school halls. Drawing on interviews with James Hackshaw before his death and on the McCahon archive, this book brings into the light a body of work and a collaboration that has been little known or examined, even by old McCahon hands. Richly illustrated with Hackshaw's plans, McCahon's drawings, letters and journal entries, and contemporary images of the surviving buildings and artworks, and with expert essays by Peter Simpson, Julia Gatley and Peter Shaw.

Bridget Hackshaw is the daughter of James Hackshaw. Before her father's death in 1999, she interviewed him about this body of work and has researched and photographed the buildings and artworks resulting from his collaboration with Colin McCahon and Paul Dibble. Bridget previously worked as an English teacher then as an advisor and lecturer in teacher education. She has a Master of Arts from the University of London and in 2019 she completed a course in architectural photography at the London College of Communication. She is the producer of a film directed by Christopher Dudman about the Hackshaw, McCahon and Dibble collaboration.

A daughter's clear labour of love has brought to light the little-known collaborative efforts of three creative individuals on twelve New Zealand buildings. Hackshaw has delved into archival material and paired this with an informative range of essays by expert contributors. A set of powerfully evocative photographs by the author provide a strong visual argument on their own. Her work is an intimate tribute and a classic example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Judges' comments, 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards