Unleash a dream, performance or passion in a wide space over three months at minimal costs, anytime at Anyplace. An inner city collective with the name Anyplace has channelled the energy and initiative of emerging artists in providing just this opportunity to the local community. With the help of Leichhardt Council, Anyplace has transformed an unprepossessing abandoned warehouse in Terry Street, Rozelle, into The Carrier, which now houses a cacophony of local interests, among them a band rehearsal room, silk screening studio and a gallery.
Although co-director Liam O’Donoghue explained that the Anyplace project is currently concentrated in Rozelle, the potential of the initiative to expand arenas of talent and reclaim unused spaces across Sydney is a strong possibility in a city where, as property prices swell, thousands of buildings remain deserted. In the last census, the number of empty dwellings alone was over 122,000, not including thousands of vacant warehouses, churches and commercial structures.
Liam saw the potential for these properties as platforms for experimentation and creativity and explained that local artists had been paying large amounts to use spaces, so writing a proposal to the council did not seem like a lot of work. “The building we saw was in good condition, and the also had individual areas separated by doors as well as larger communal spaces. After viewing the proposal, Leichhardt Council said these were already areas that they wanted to focus on. They saw that we were offering what they themselves wanted to do, so they basically they helped by putting us in contact with the owners of the building, coming with us to meet the owners and talking about it with them.” The council not only boosted the organisation’s profile, but have granted Anyplace funding twice over the past two years.
“As we’ve progressed and have also gained ideas,” said Liam. “We’re receiving proposals from a wider group of people and the strength of the project is in the non-homogenous nature of the people using the space.”
Read more about the Anyplace project at www.anyplaceprojects.com/ and find The Carrier at 118 Terry St, Rozelle.
BY MILLICENT CAFFREY
