This image, by Cordite editor David Prater, shows the interior of the Austin Car manufacturing plant on Dudley Street, West Melbourne. The building is now used variously as a car park, second hand furniture warehouse, architects' offices (Six Degrees) and, downstairs, an artist's living space. The 109A project was conceived by Shannon Bufton, who writes: “The Ruskin Motor company had also used the building to manufacture body parts. Later on in its life it was used by the Commonwealth Department [of Administrative Services] to maintain its fleet of cars.” The car pictured may or may not be one of these sad old beasts.
About David Prater
David Prater was Cordite’s Managing Editor from 2001 to 2012. His first poetry collection, We Will Disappear, was published by papertiger media in 2007, and Vagabond Press published his chapbook Morgenland in the same year. His poetry has appeared in a wide range of Australian and international journals, and he has performed his work at festivals in Australia, Japan, Bulgaria, Canada, the United States, the Netherlands and Macedonia. He has also undertaken two writers’ residencies in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and has worked extensively as a teacher, editor and researcher. He currently lives in Stockholm, Sweden.
Website:http://daveydreamnation.comFurther reading:
Bad Boy, 2007 | newsprint (Daily Mail) | 39.4 x 30.5 cm | Courtesy of the Artist and Mark Moore Gallery
