The Sydney Opera House has unveiled designs for an impressive renewal project by ARM architecture. While an upgrade might be long overdue, are we overlooking the bigger picture?
NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for the Arts Troy Grant unveiled the working designs for the Sydney Opera House’s Renewal Program last week. As the largest system of upgrades Jørn Utzon’s beloved masterpiece has received since opening in 1973, there’s no denying the proposed plans to improve access and ensure the Opera House meets the needs and expectations of performers, audiences and visitors for generations to come are impressive – inspired, even. However, while restoration and upkeep of an architectural icon and world heritage figure is essential – in a state of diminishing arts and cultural funding, who’s missing out here?
As part of the NSW Government’s commitment to the Rebuilding NSW initiative, the Opera House Renewal absorbs a fairly staggering $202 million from the $600 million Cultural Infrastructure Fund. Other king-sized cultural institutions such as the Art Gallery of NSW, the Walsh Bay district, the Australian Museum, the Powerhouse Museum, among others, fritter away residual funds, leaving a scanty reserve for distribution amongst the smaller myriad arts spaces. While attempting to accelerate on the economic asset value of the Opera House (which Deloitte calculates to sit around $4.6 billion), the proposal stands as another potential deadlock on our cultural economy.
On the impetus behind the Renewal scheme, Mr Grant said “[i]t is our responsibility as custodians of this extraordinary place to maintain and renew it for all Australians.” He may, however, be guilty of both verbosity and imprecision. All Australians? While Utzon imagined an inclusive, expansive and evolving artistic centre – he must have also imagined it would be supported by a city with a broad and rich cultural landscape. We must remember that despite the government’s promise to redress the imbalance in arts and cultural funding in NSW leading up to the state election, the lion’s share of the Cultural Infrastructure Fund is funnelled into the CBD’s jumbo institutions. Regional hubs and precincts are chronically flouted a courtesy which even scratches anything close to equivalence. The Opera House is irrefutably an important cultural and economic lodestar. It is not, however, the only one.
In their report released on the eve of the 2015 NSW election, Deloitte Access Economics stressed the inequity was beyond critical. In Western Sydney (30% of the NSW population) a significant per capita funding and redevelopment discrepancy is underscored by a “significant shortage of cultural venues and events compared to Eastern Sydney”. This year’s Federal Budget provided no reparation to address the discrepancy, or attempt to attract and support a creative class to build a resilient local cultural economy that could incorporate the wider state.
It’s undeniable that local museums, arts centres, galleries, music venues, grants and schools are dropping off the map with steady, consecutive, depressing orderliness. In recent years, Hogarth Gallery (one of Sydney’s very, very few Indigenous Art spaces) and Tap Gallery Theatre (one of our very, very few independent theatres) closed their doors.
The brains behind the Sydney Opera House Renewal plans deserve congratulations for truly innovative responses to upgrading acoustics, accessibility, efficiency and flexibility in what is the nation’s largest and busiest performing arts centre. But biggest, busiest, is not everything.
The Sydney Opera House Upgrades will be carried out by ARM architects, who will be working with German acoustic engineers Mueller-BBM.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Continuing our new series on the design enthusiasts who work in all sorts of different roles across the industry, we hear from Innerspace’s Creative Collaborator and State Manager NSW.
Dallas Rogers, Head of Urban Discipline at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, comments on the history of map-making in our cities.
The Australian Design Centre (ADC) this year celebrates 60 years! A series of events are coming up to mark the occasion.
Overcoming pandemic hurdles to redefine guest experiences amidst Sydney’s bustling entertainment precinct, The Darling has undergone a two-year restoration that melds Art Deco interiors with the necessities of hotel living.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Artificial intelligence is one of the defining issues of our time. Here are five ideas articles addressing the anxieties and possibilities of the technology in design.
Archie Moore’s kith and kin unveiled in the Australia Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.
DKO’s Interior Design Director on how to create community and specificity in interior design, and how apartment living is being reconceptualised.
When iconic brands wield their influence, the ripples extend far beyond aesthetics. And so when the MillerKnoll collective formed, the very concept of design shifted, supercharging the industry’s aspiration to create a better world into an unwavering sense of responsibility to do so.