City invests in creativity

The City of Sydney has leased office spaces in Darlinghurst to creative talents to bolster the city’s cultural appeal.

The 16 studios at 58-72 Oxford St provide a base for artists, designers and business entrepreneurs to share ideas, expand on artistic projects and enrich the area.

The initiative represents the Council’s commitment towards increasing the number of affordable creative spaces in the city centre.

The Lord Mayor Clover Moore met with the new Oxford St tenants on February 24.  “We’re hoping to provide an opportunity for artists to collaborate with other creative talents, produce their work, encourage cultural diversity and foster new talent,” she said. “It’s hard when you’re creative and have the talent but lack both the funding and resources to produce a work of art.”

Ms Moore said more than 200 applicants had initially expressed interest in the spaces and over 50 applications were submitted. Now, “sixteen spaces are buzzing with opportunity,” she said.

Scale Architecture, a multiple award-winning architectural practice has greatly benefited from the Council’s initiative.

Director Matthew Chan said: “What I’ve tried to set up is an architectural studio that will allow us to practice developments and enable free-flowing conversations.” He believes the open-plan studio is conducive to creative thinking and collaboration.

“The City of Sydney Council has been generous to us and we want to be able to give something back,” he said.
Mr Chan sees the initiative as bearing a wider cultural significance for Sydney in terms of establishing a sense of character within the heart of the city.
“It’s a very public exposure to our project. We would like to thank the Council in what we see as a positive step in adding to the community.”

Operations manager of AroundYou, Deanna Dovey, said the project allows for greater community engagement.

“We’re a very young, new company trying to bring our community together again,” she said. “Having access to a space like this enables us to focus on breaking down isolation, getting people involved in their local areas and overcoming [social] issues together.”

Ms Moore said the project represents a bold step forward for the community. “I’m very excited and inspired by what we’ve seen today”, she affirmed.

The Council is currently considering a proposal for recommissioning two additional buildings on William St for similar projects.

By Daniel Paperny