Robin Boyd Foundation

Collection Digitisation

A typed script titled "The Flying Dogtor" with handwritten notes and sketches of a dog character wearing glasses and a hat, and a snake wearing a top hat.

Client: Robin Boyd Foundation

The digitisation project for the Robin Boyd Foundation was a significant undertaking aimed at preserving and making accessible a vast and invaluable archive. This archive, containing over 4,000 items, offered a deep dive into Robin Boyd's extensive work as an architect, author, critic, and public educator, as well as a unique glimpse into life at Walsh Street during the 1950s and 60s. The materials ranged from books, furniture, and artwork to manuscripts, correspondence, slides, films, architectural drawings, and newspaper clippings, each piece contributing to a broader understanding of Boyd's influence on modern Australian architecture and culture.

Restore was tasked with digitising over 1,500 slides and numerous manuscripts, along with other paper-based materials from the collection. The digitisation process involved meticulously scanning and cataloguing these items to ensure their preservation for future generations. By converting these physical materials into digital formats, the project aimed to protect them from deterioration while also making them more accessible to researchers, students, and the general public.

Kodachrome transparency slide of the Olympic Swimming Pool at the Melbourne 1956 Olympics, showing an upward view of a building with a sloped red roof and vertical gray supports, against a clear blue sky with tree branches in the background.
A vintage Kodak Kodachrome transparency film box with an image of a modern building and text indicating it was processed by Kodak.
Colorized black and white photograph of a city street scene in Harlem, New York, 1956, featuring a large sign for Arturo's Super Food Market on a building, with tall residential buildings in the background and parked cars in the street.
A vintage Kodak Kodachrome Transparency slide about Le Corbusier's Ronchamp Chapel in France, showing the chapel's distinctive modern architecture with geometric shapes and curved roof.
A historical postcard into London showing a tall, modern office building and St. Giles in the Fields church with its tall spire, date 1969, labeled as 'Marsh's Centrepoint' and 'Koddairrome Transparecny', with colorful graphic elements around the photo.
A street scene in the USA from 1956, showing four men walking past storefronts with signs for hardware stores and barber shops.
A vintage slide mount with a photo of a modern architectural building with a unique geometric glass facade, labeled "ANSCOCHROME" at the top and bottom, and along the left side, it says "SOMIS AIR FORCE ACADEMY CADET CHAPEL COLORADO 1964."
A vintage Kodak Kodachrome transparency slide featuring a black and white photo of Habitat 67, a housing complex in Montreal, Canada, designed by architect Moshe Safdie. The slide has red, white, and yellow lettering and a picture of the building in the center.
Vintage Kodak Kodachrome transparency slide showing an aerial view of St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy, dating back to 1950.
A vintage Anscochrome slide showing a mid-century living room with sofas, armchairs, a glass coffee table, a piano, bookshelves, and large windows with curtains.
Photograph of the Chandigarh High Court building in India, 1964, designed by Le Corbusier, showing modern architectural design with a large concrete structure over a pond.
View of the Taj Mahal through an archway.
Cover of a 1966 magazine titled 'Walkabout', featuring a large construction site with a partially built opera house and a boat in the water in Sydney, Australia.
A newspaper article titled 'City or Anti-City?' with a black and white photo of a man wearing glasses and a mustache. The article discusses urban planning and city development topics.

The digitisation of the Robin Boyd Foundation's collection has significantly benefited the foundation by enhancing the accessibility and usability of the archive. The digitised items have been integrated into Victorian Collections, an online platform that provides public access to Victoria’s cultural heritage. This not only allows for broader public engagement with Boyd’s legacy but also supports ongoing research and education efforts. Additionally, the digitisation has ensured the long-term preservation of these historically important items, safeguarding them against potential loss or damage and securing Boyd's legacy for future exploration and appreciation.