Reading Room

Reading Room event Harvey Benge (1944-2019) in conversation with Jonty Valentine

Creators speaking about their books as a way into a broader conversation and context.

Revealing stories and insights into who they are and why they do what they do.

That is how the idea of Reading Room Group Events came to life.

The first event was held in 2015 and evolved into is a series of live interviews with inspiring makers of things; Architects, Photographers, Writers and Painters.

Reading Room Online evolved during the COVID19 lockdowns.

From 2020 Reading Room became an online conversion hosted via Instagram Live on The Simon Devitt Photographer official Instagram account.

Read more about Reading Room, view the gallieries form Group Events and view the Online interviews below.

Reading Room Online

Reading Room evolved into an online conversation via Instagram Live from 2020.

These events were hosted by Simon and expanded to include creators from around the world.

List of Reading Room Online interviews, click on the images to view.

  • Dame Anne Salmond
  • David Trubridge
  • Edmund Sumner
  • Ema Peter
  • John Wardle
  • Karl Fritsch
  • Karl Maughan
  • Michael Hurst
  • Michael Lett
  • Ngila Dickson
  • Reuben Paterson
  • Sean Godsell
  • Yvonne Todd
  • Adam Haddow (Architects Bookshop)
  • Andrew J Steel
  • David Gaimster
  • Dr Lynley Edmeades
  • Elliot Collins
  • Francis McWhannell
  • Hamish Keith
  • Jenna Todd
  • Justine Cormack and Marc Taddei
  • Karl Maughan
  • Lisa Walker
  • Marshall Cook
  • Mickey Smith
  • Mike Chunn
  • Miles Calder
  • Neil Pardington
  • Peter Stutchbury
  • Richard Killeen
  • Roger Mortimer
  • Sara McIntyre
  • Scotty ‘Sumo’ Stevenson
  • Solomon Mortimer
  • Steve Reeves
Karl Fritsch
Solomon Mortimer
Dame Anne Salmond
Sean Godell
Hamish Keith
Scotty Sumo Stevenson
Mike Chunn
Sara McIntyre
Yvonne Todd
Ngila Dickson
Marshall Cook
Michael Lett
John Wardle
David Gaimster
Adam Haddow
Peter Stutchbury

About Reading Room

I have always been proud of my library at home and consider it such a great treasure.

Carefully considered and curated, it contains a stockpile of potential and is loaded with memory.

Just a glance suffices to trace where I was when I bought each book and I can even recall the smell of the bookstore.

But I soon realised that those books were just for me; one very important thing was missing in my library (apart from more books!): being able to share that magical world of my books with others in an inspiring, thought-provoking way.

The stories that libraries tell can be immediate triggers for a much wider conversation that go far beyond their confines.

Reading Room elicits these greater conversations to marvellous effect.

That is how the idea of Reading Room Group Events came to life.

The first event was held in 2015.

It evolved into is a series of live interviews with inspiring makers of things; Architects, Photographers, Writers and Painters.

Reading Room Online evolved during the COVID19 lockdowns.

From 2020 Reading Room became an online conversion hosted via Instagram Live.

Library Lovers.

If you know a fascinating someone who has a library at home full of memory and potential please let Simon know (it doesn’t matter where they are).

Contact Simon

Judy Millar in conversation with Sam Mannering

Pip Cheshire in conversation with Matt Liggins

 Marshall Cook (1940-2023) in conversation with Nat Cheshire

Reading Room – Group Events

The wish list of special guests for Reading Room began with the first event in mid-2015 and through to 2020.

These in-person events were hosted in unique spaces across Auckland, providing an intimate backdrop for interviews.
Reading Room’s inaugural event was held at the home of New Zealand Architect Marshall Cook.
Marshall conversed with Nat Cheshire, in front of an audience of 15 lucky guests sitting in Cook’s amazing library.

List of Reading Room Group Events

  • Marshall Cook in conversation with Nat Cheshire—20 June 2015
  • Harvey Benge in conversation with Jonty Valentine—26 September 2015
  • Judy Millar in conversation with Sam Mannering—17 October 2015
  • Pip Cheshire in conversation with Matt Liggins—28 September 2019

With caffeinated support from: