> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Riverfire from the Roof - URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/riverfire-from-the-roof/ - Published: 2026-03-30T02:30:55.000Z - Updated: 2026-03-30T02:30:55.000Z - Description: Working Riverfire from a CBD rooftop became more than an AV gig. It turned into 35mm photographic experiments, quiet walks through abandoned floors, and a new view of old Brisbane. - Author: Damien K Quick - Tags: The Lab, Photography I spent several years working as a contract Audio Visual tech, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Anything from camera operator, camera and vision switching, rolling out mountains of cabling, LED screen installer and operator, and an awful amount of projection installation and operation. And one of the most unique places to operate a projector? On a roof in the CBD for Brisbane Festival and Riverfire. ![View of Southbank over Reddacliff Place. Canon 5D mkii](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---3-.jpg) View of Southbank over Reddacliff Place. Canon 5D mkii Not the tallest building in the city, but enough stairs to know you’re a long way up, as the lift didn’t go all the way. A hidden back lane entrance leads to a lift, then the above-mentioned stairs up and up, through several ghostly abandoned floors lit only by emergency light, through maintenance access, out through more decommissioned rooms, onto the roof, up ladders, and out onto the perfect spot to project a 10-storey high image onto a neighbouring building. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---4-.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---5-.jpg) The projector rig in all its glory 2 x 15k Sanyo Projectors. Canon 5D mkii The crew had already set up the rig, and I feel for them, as lifting those projectors up those stairs and ladders would have required a nap. I was run through the setup: rack mounted PC's, 2 x Sanyo 15k projectors blended, just fire it up and off you go. ![View of the Brisbane Square Library (Left) and roof access point (Right)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---6--1.jpg) View of the Brisbane Square Library (Left) and roof access point (Right) Canon 5D mkii We had set times, all controlled over radio by the show director. I would turn on the rig, hit play at the start time, sit back, and freeze my ass off, as I was unaware just how much colder and windier it would be up on the roof compared to the ground. At another planned time, I’d receive a radio call: “kill the projector”, which goes on vision mute so we don’t need to warm the projectors up again. The Riverfire show runs, me with one of the best seats in the house, and at the end of the show another radio call: “ok good to go”, and projectors back off mute and run for another few hours. ![The Roof Access walkway. Kodak Porta 160 35mm ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---16-.jpg) The Roof Access walkway. Kodak Porta 160 35mm Once the night was over, shut the whole thing down in the correct order, isolate power, and cover the entire rig in tarps and ropes to protect it from the weather. I did this on rotation with other crew for the entire month. ![The moon directly overhead during the show. Canon 5D mkii](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---7--1.jpg) The moon directly overhead during the show. Canon 5D mkii After the first night of almost turning blue and realising the opportunities I had with a camera up here, I rocked up the following nights with my trusty Everlast bomber jacket and a whole stack of cameras. Digital and 35mm. Honestly, this is the first time anyone has seen these, as I just took photos for the fun of it, never to show or exhibit anything. All experimentation. ![Air Con units for the abandoned levels below](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---8--1.jpg) Air Con units for the abandoned levels below ![Looking down at the top end of Burnett Lane facing North. Kodak Porta 160 35mm](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---13-.jpg) Looking down at the top end of Burnett Lane facing North. Kodak Porta 160 35mm The digital images were still in unedited RAW format, and the film tucked away in storage folders, never printed. The colour is odd on the film. Kodak Portra 160, which is really for daylight portrait shots, not long exposure evening experiments in a vintage camera, but hey, it’s just for fun. Also, old cameras are **very** difficult to assess light and exposure with at night without a proper light meter, and that’s the length of my excuses. To be honest, I really like the look anyhow. It captures the eerie feel of the abandoned levels. 0:00 /0:55 1× Timelapse captured with Canon EOS 5D MKii - No Sound I also shot 1200 frames of full-res long exposure timelapse (above), which was still in frames and never viewed until I put this together, taking up masses of hard drive space. I also finished off a roll of Kodak EBX Elite Chrome Extra Colour 100 in the Canon EOS 1N. ![Experimental Photography Canon Eos 5D mkii](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---1-.jpg) Experimental Photography Canon Eos 5D mkii **The abandoned levels** Ghostly as they were, lit only in emergency light, several levels of the building were left abandoned. An international education company was running there and, for some unknown reason, ceased to operate, leaving everything packed in boxes and desks pushed into corners. No one around, just the constant hum from the building itself. ![The stairs leading to the roof. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---9-.jpg) The stairs leading to the roof. Kodak Porta 160 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---12-.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---11-.jpg) Abandoned hallways lit only by emergency lighting. Kodak Porta 160 We had to walk through these levels at the top of the building, as it was the last stop for the elevator and then into the stairwell for the rest of the way to the roof. I tried to capture the feeling of these levels and, even though I felt quite uncomfortable the first few times, after spending time taking the photos it became less eerie and kind of sad to know this was once a busy business, with many students coming and going, to what it is now. ![Desks gather in groups in the corner of the room. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---18-.jpg) Desks gather in groups in the corner of the room. Kodak Porta 160 ![Desks gather in groups in the corner of the room. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---21-.jpg) Could they be developing a personality. Kodak Porta 160 ![Desks gather in groups in the corner of the room. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---10-.jpg) Maybe a soul?. Kodak Porta 160 ![Abandoned office experiment using a torch to paint light. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---17-.jpg) Abandoned office experiment using a torch to paint light. Kodak Porta 160 ![The ground level maintenance elevators. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---19-.jpg) The ground level maintenance elevators. Kodak Porta 160 **The Square** Part of the time waiting on the roof, as there was a **lot** of waiting, I spent people watching. There is a lot going on in the streets below, and several events in Reddacliff Place in front of the Brisbane Square Library. Markets on one night, Latin dancing on another. Latin music funnelling up the towering building walls. Families walking, and crowds heading home after the evening’s events. You almost want to be down there and be a part of the festivities. ![Reddacliff Place. Care for a German Sausage? So close yet so far! Canon 5d mkii](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---2-.jpg) Reddacliff Place. Care for a German Sausage? So close yet so far! Canon 5d mkii **Old Brisbane** After a few days of sitting up here you start to notice the hidden skyline. The old Brisbane now buried beneath the skyscrapers. Original rooflines that are only visible from this elevated position. From street level, it’s all covered by awnings, and from a distance it’s blocked by the ever-expanding construction. It wasn’t that long ago that Queen Street was a **street** and not a mall, and roads once filled what is now King George Square. ![Original Queen St Mall Myer Centre roof line hidden below the Brisbane city skyline. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---15-.jpg) Original Queen St Mall Myer Centre roof line hidden below the Brisbane city skyline. Kodak Porta 160 ![Barry & Roberts Limited - Myer Centre original roof line - Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---14-.jpg) Barry & Roberts Limited - Myer Centre original roof line - Kodak Porta 160 What was a simple AV tech gig paid much more than just an hourly rate. It became time for reflection, photographic experimentation, and an insight into parts of the city I didn’t know existed. I had never seen the old Brisbane hidden in plain sight, and I was also unaware that there are quite a few empty floors throughout the city, just sitting there abandoned. Out of all the AV gigs I did, this had to be the most unique, and one of the most memorable experiences I had in the industry. ![Brisbane Festival 2011 - Kodak EBX - Canon EOS 1N](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---24-.jpg) Brisbane Festival 2011 - Kodak EBX - Canon EOS 1N ![Brisbane Festival 2011 - Kodak EBX - Canon EOS 1N](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---25-.jpg) Brisbane Festival 2011 - Kodak EBX - Canon EOS 1N ![Burnett Lane 2011 - North East facing. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---20-.jpg) Burnett Lane 2011 - North East facing. Kodak Porta 160 --- **Everything on this site is free for everyone.** **No ads. No popups. 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