Of all of the wonderful things I could say about riding the new Sydney Metro last, it was the public art that spoke to me.
Inspired by the theme 'Storyline', 19 artists were selected to create public art for the City and Southwest Metro line. This one below by Callum Morton at Gadigal is a stunning addition to Sydney with a beautiful sight line from the Park Street public domain.
These new cultural landmarks will surely become symbols of the city.
Great time chatting with Stephen Burton of POMO on the Placemakers Podcast recently. Summary written by Stephen:
“What's the relationship between placemaking and property marketing? From a property developer's point of view, placemaking is a often looked at as a way to differentiate their offering in the market. Is there still a role for community in this process? How does it intersect with branding and place visioning? As a leader in this field, Tom helps us understand the way placemaking is defining our privately made public realm.”
Check it out on Spotify here.
Back in London a couple of months ago I visited Battersea Power Station, Coal Drops Yard and The Standard (one I worked on back 2015). These adaptive reuse projects entice people to visit. They’re bold. They tell a story.
The bricks and mortar honour the past, but the playful elements like chimney lift shaft, themed bar, encircling shared street and basketball courts engage with the city in a contemporary way.
We’re lucky in Sydney: we can learn from international projects like these (the pros and cons) to apply thinking to White Bay Power Station, Newtown Tram Sheds and North Eveleigh, to name a few. Heritage isn’t a burden, but an opportunity to reinterpret and reimagine.
A couple of weeks ago Saal Digital asked me to review one of their book products... Eager to start seeing some of my images in print, it was a great chance for me to self-publish quickly and easily without the hassle of understanding the ins and outs of graphic design and printing.
I sat down with East London based figurative painter Lorna May Wadsworth to talk about her studio space, gentrification and the future of artists in the city.
Photographer
Nicholas Gascoine spent his mid 20's in New York City. There, he would work alongside some of the most prominent fashion photographers, often flying to exotic locations. The move back to Australia had followed an exciting period of work, and Gascoine found the body of water lapping onto Sydney's Eastern beach fronts restorative.
My friend James and I decided that we were going to cycle to Paris... Wasting little time um-ming and ah-hing, we decided to plan for the fastest route (London-Newhaven-Dieppe-Forges-Les-Eaux-Pontiose-Paris) and a couple of weeks later we were off. A quick run down below with some few black and white shots taken en-route ...
Before leaving Sydney, I did a few photography shoots for Sydney’s new 'Neighbourhood Paper'...
