Travel / LIFEIMAGES: HASHIRIN NURIN HASHIMI (MATTEO BERNASCONI AND VIVID SYDNEY), SHARYN CAIRNS (PARAMOUNT HOUSE HOTEL) AND WHITE RABBIT GALLERY (EXUVIATE II – WHERE HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN GONE?)
CREATIVE CALLING
The mild winters of New South Wales are perfect for being
out and about—which was what I did on a stopover at the
state’s capital, Sydney. My trip was planned to coincide
with Vivid Sydney, the annual festival of light, music and
ideas that has captivated the imagination of both locals and
tourists alike over the past decade.
Every year, the world-famous sails of the Sydney
Opera House are bathed in technicolour lights, fl ooding
tens of thousands of Instagram feeds with its vibrant
projections. With so much going on across eight precincts,
I took my time to soak in the atmosphere over two
nights. Some personal favourites include the shimmering
ballerinas around Circular Quay and the animated cycle
of creation, destruction and regeneration on the facade
of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. But
perhaps, what made the most impression was the trail at
the Taronga Zoo with its sculptures of endangered species
such the Sumatran rhino and Silverback gorilla, in a nod to
wildlife conservation.
Having seen Sydney’s light after dark, I wanted to get
under the skin of its inner-city districts, and on a hyperlocal
Culture Scouts walking tour discovered Chippendale and
Redfern, the city’s new neighbourhoods of cool. Once
the underbelly of the city, Chippendale is known for its
architecture and heritage buildings, from The Old Clare
Hotel to Carriageworks, formerly the Eveleigh Railway
Workshops, now the largest multi-arts centre in Australia.The art crowd is also fl ocking to the neighbourhood,
but one of the fi rst to see its potential is Zimbabwe-born
billionaire art collector and philanthropist Judith Neilson
of the internationally renowned White Rabbit Gallery,
now one of the world’s largest private collections of
contemporary Chinese art. Word has it that Neilson
doesn’t just buy art, she makes artists’ careers.
Other pit stops to note include commercial art gallery
Nanda\Hobbs, which is well-versed in art as investment,
and the artist-led Peach Black Gallery by visual artist
Matteo Bernasconi. Some of Sydney’s most vibrant street
art can be found in Redfern, including an iconic mural by
indigenous artists such as Tracey Moffatt and Avril Quaill,
as well as the political satires of graffi ti artist Scott Marsh.
When you are in a creative headspace, not just any
hotel would do to lay your head for the night, and my base
for this artistic sojourn was the Paramount House Hotel
in Surry Hills, which is housed in the former Australian
headquarters of Paramount Picture Studios. Many
features of the 1940s functionalist-style building were
preserved such as its high ceilings and brick walls, while
modern elements such as herringbone copper screens and
terrazzo tiles were added, along with made-in-Australia
furnishings. But my favourite touch has got to be the
pink wallpaper in the lift, which adds the right jolt of
colour and quirk to the industrial theme—something that
resonates with curious travellers who want to see the city
in a different light.singapore tatler. october 2019 201