From Industry to Innovative Art Spaces

: Sidney; 23 March 2017; Hits: 1790

Sidney

Railway workshops have become contemporary exhibition spaces and markets, abandoned prisons transformed into venues and movie sets. In recent years, Sydney has decided to invest in the redevelopment of its run-down and forgotten areas, reversing the trend of the seventies when buildings considered old or unsuitable were demolished and new ones built in their place. Now, however, these spaces are being recovered, generating an urban and artistic fusion that has lead to a newfound appreciation of both the constructions and the neighborhoods they are found in.

The largest island in Sydney Harbor, Cockatoo Island, is perhaps the perfect example of this transformation. In the mid-nineteenth century it was used as a detention center and many buildings were built by the prisoners themselves. Almost no one escaped, few could swim and it was said there were sharks in the water. The prison did not last long and at the end of the century it was transformed into a reformatory for children. It later became a workshop for the construction and repair of ships, becoming the largest structure of its kind in the Southwest Pacific after the fall of Singapore during World War II. The shipyard closed in 1992, the machinery sold off, many of the buildings demolished, and the island remained inactive for almost ten years until the Harbor Federation Trust decided to redevelop the area. Since its reopening in 2007, Cockatoo Island has become a picnic spot thanks to the open green spaces where you can play tennis or with the giant chess set, enjoy concerts and festivals (like the All Tomorrow’s parties organized by Nick Cave in 2011), visit film shoots (such as that used for Wolverine) or take a “haunted” night tour to discover the mysteries and history of the island through tunnels, dry docks and the Biloela House – the former correctional facility rumored to be inhabited by ghosts. But Cockatoo Island is not alone. Back on the mainland, a great point of interest is the Carriageworks in Redfern, the neighborhood that has long been subject to migration now brings Aboriginals and young artists together among murals, crumbling buildings and new exhibition spaces. As part of this requalification, the Carriageworks has been transformed from an old railway workshop into the largest multi-arts center in Australia. It has become a venue for exhibitions, dance performances, concerts and events, including the Farmers Market held every Sunday, fashion shows and even some events from the Sydney Festival. Other projects are still in progress; the Sydney Modern Project, for example, is a huge initiative that will turn the Art Gallery of New South Wales, built in 1874 near the Royal Botanic Gardens, into a new twenty-first century museum. The works planned by Japanese architects from the firm SANAA (the same that designed the Serpentine Gallery in London, among others) should be completed in time for the building’s 150th anniversary in 2021, and aims not only to create new exhibition spaces and green areas but also to revitalize existing structures, returning to use natural lighting in the halls dating back to the nineteenth century, giving more space to Australian art, organizing events that involve local communities and tourists, and using the most advanced technology to achieve maximum environmental sustainability. The new spaces will occupy a practically unused area just north of the current museum, taking advantage of the platforms over the Cahill Expressway (the country’s first!) and disused storage tanks from the Second World War.
Just as the Sydney Modern Project is an important initiative for culture and the most touristic part of the city, the Sydenham project wants to improve a district located a little further out,
near the airport, which could nevertheless become a popular nightlife destination. If the project is approved, the suburb located eight kilometers from the CBD will become a major hub for
music and concerts, taking advantage of the highly adaptable industrial warehouses, and a home for artists, with short-term tenancy agreements designed especially to attract creative
professionals and start-up founders.