Congratulations to the winner and six finalists in the 2015 Home of the Year Award, announced in April. Amongst those in the running for the award were some stunners I’ve photographed: The Rammed Earth House by Justin and Louise Wright of Assembly Architects and the Titirangi Red House by Ken Crosson of Crosson, Clarke, Carnachan Architects.
Find out about my glamourous life as a photographer!
As part of the Auckland Festival of Photography I’m taking part in the free Talking Culture Lecture Series.
I’ll be discussing my practice as a commercial photographer of architecture, people and places as well as my self-published, award winning book Portrait of a House.
Auckland Art Gallery Auditorium
Corner Kitchener and Wellesley Streets
Sunday 8 June 2014
3pm
Portrait of a House has been doing a little world trip, this time popping up in the book review section of the incredibly stylish Elle Decor Italia.
If your Italian is a bit rusty here’s what they said:
“Featuring architectural daring from New Zealand.
Discover this home and project created on the hill by architect Ian Athfield.
An innovative publication, charmingly presented and photographed by Simon Devitt.
I was chuffed to find Portrait of a House reviewed by Tommy Honey in The Hobson magazine December 2013 issue.
“The most intriguing and certainly the most personal book on architecture published this year is Portrait of a House (Balasoglou Books) by photographer Simon Devitt.
It is, as Devitt states, “a portrait of the Athfield House, the village on the hill”.
Ian Athfield, once the enfant terrible of New Zealand architecture, and his wife Claire, started building their house high on the hill in Khandallah, Wellington, nearly 50 years ago.
The story of their house is told almost entirely in pictures (some archival, some taken by Devitt over a 10 year period), anecdotes and recipes.
It is the intimate made public and a reflection of the Athfields’ generosity and Devitt’s commitment.
A beautiful, beautiful book.”
Urban design critic Tommy Honey is a former architect, now Dean of College at Parnell’s Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design. He lives in Remuera.
Photography is now complete for the State houses book.
Keep an eye out – it’s set for release Feb 2014.