To the right, like the set for
yet another Beckett play, pregnant with pause, are a series of seven ramps for
pedestrian wheeled traffic. To the left, sheds of railway stuff and clear blue
skies. From down here in the Redfern rail-yards, at the entrance to the
CarriageWorks, you cannot see a city building, just trees beyond a close
horizon of corrugated iron roofs.
Now, the place itself, according
to its official word: “Developed by the NSW State Government through Arts NSW,
CarriageWorks will be a contemporary performance space located in the 1880s
Carriage Workshop. Carriages were built and repaired in this workshop for over
a century and the building retains much of its original built fabric and
industrial atmosphere. The fit-out is designed to read as a series of discrete
modern elements within the historic shell.”
Across a brief band of sunshine
to the deep shade of the old building brightly renovated – pushing through one
of the tall glass doors into the airy foyer – it smells new.
Above, a rusty reminder of the
coming of Steam, on stalwart beams, remain large mechanical wheels, stripped of
viable connections but defiantly stressed with the dignity of labour. The
original shed lights, refurbished, large pressed metal hoods glower proudly
through the odd chip in lustrous aged enamel. Gawping upwards the columns and vaulted
ceilings evoke sensations of a cathedral while underfoot we feel the floor of
an abattoir redeemed by 21st century fine grinding.
This could be a venue for,
perhaps, Popular Mechanics to take a residency. Preparation for the evening’s
opening proceeds apace; hydraulic raising devices flex their modern orange
parallelograms effortlessly up and down. Middle-aged men with fantastic facial
hair, arts administrators maybe, are removing bubble wrap from tall round bar
tables.
At 1500 hrs four-legged wasp
critters skitter stilts across the foyer towards a trio of media shutterbugs.
This place won’t be poaching
punters from proximate pubs with no glass of wine for less than $7.50 as they
chalk the prices large on boards behind the elegantly bunkered bars. You can
grab a Toohey’s New at the same price you get sandwiches: six bucks. Sushi:
$9.50. There is more.
At 1520 hrs the sound surround
system blurts: “Test! – One! – Two!” CarriageWorks director Sue Hunt is having
a busy day. The expected teething problems – the worst of which, delayed
delivery of permanent seating, necessitates apologies for the temporary
replacements which sit uneasily in the great theatrical spaces of the complex –
won’t frustrate Sue from making good her promise that “CarriageWorks will offer
an exciting addition to the cultural life of Sydney and its artists, providing
an environment that pulses with a unique spirit of creativity and innovation.”
This new venue is a magnificent
boon for the community. But not if we don’t get down there and inhabit the place
and welcome the artists who will come. Happening soon, to launch Performance
Space – the first established arts company to call CarriageWorks home – three
free Special Events. Sue Hunt says: “At CarriageWorks, the doors are open to
all possibilities.” First-time patrons may want to take a compass and a snack
and be prepared to have their eyes opened.
1. At a picnic with artists Claire Healy and Sean
Cordeiro at 2pm on Saturday 24 February there are dozens of oysters to be
shucked and then used to make a new sculptural work – PRIMARY PRODUCERS
2. SINGING THE SPACE, Sunday, 6pm, 25 February – a
melodic feast to usher in new ways of seeing and being.
3. Friday 2 March, 8.30pm, a sea of analogue dreams
with DEMUX. Audio-visual systems are used, abused and tweaked to reveal the
interplay between human and machine.
The first regular gig will be NEVER BEEN THIS FAR
AWAY FROM HOME, a new solo show from choreographer/performer Martin del Amo,
who promises a darkly comic and sometimes surreal journey into his fascination
with the unknown. March 7-17, Wed-Sat, 8pm, $25/$15
Source: South Sydney Herald February 2007