The idea behind the Redfern Terrace project is to help pass on local history of the Redfern area onto new generations. The City of Sydney is set to commission an artist or artistic team to take over a 1880s terrace house and transform it with historical and modern tales from residents.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore has welcomed the idea, and says all concepts for the Redfern Terrace that would celebrate the diverse stories of The Block and beyond.

“The City is committed to recognising and celebrating the living culture of our First Peoples, and Redfern is rich with stories of urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life,” the Lord Mayor said.

“The project is inspired by the pride, courage and resilience of Australia’s First Peoples and the history of Redfern as a hub of Sydney’s cultural life and the home of Aboriginal activism in Australia.

“By sharing and interweaving the important stories of Aboriginal elders past and present, with the hopes and aspirations of young Aboriginal people today, the Redfern Terrace will be the place where Aboriginal stories converge.”

The project has been inspired by the famous New York’s Tenement Museum for immigrant stories and the Susannah Place Museum in The Rocks. Ideally, the Redfern Terrace project will become both an important artwork and iconic landmark in a rapidly changing urban environment.

The City of Sydney has set aside $300,000 for building works that will be determined by the design concept.

Submissions are due by 11am, Monday 30 May, 2016

City of Sydney
cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au