Powerhouse Parramatta museum opens in western Sydney after $915m build
The new Powerhouse museum in Parramatta, in western Sydney, Australia, opens to the public on Saturday after a $915m build. The opening follows disputes over costs and museum governance.
Powerhouse Parramatta, a new branch of Australia's Powerhouse museum often called the "Opera House of western Sydney", opens to the public on Saturday in Parramatta, in Sydney's west. The building cost $915m, at a time of tight arts funding, and the central question is whether the investment was worthwhile and whether it can draw visitors from across Sydney and the country.
A contested project
The Parramatta site was announced in 2014. Former staff and trustees have criticised what they see as neglect of the museum's existing Ultimo site and a drift from its core purpose towards contemporary art and events. The cost also drew scrutiny, and the New South Wales Treasury investigated allegations about the museum's governance and procurement. In late August, ten weeks before the planned opening, chief executive Lisa Havilah was stood down.
The building
A white lattice exoskeleton made of 1,300 pieces wraps 30,000 square metres of interior space. Built from 12,000 tonnes of steel and enclosing two towers, it allows column-free exhibition halls up to 18 metres high. Interior walls are covered in a render made from 600,000 crushed oyster shells. The architects are Moreau Kusunoki and Genton.
Five opening exhibitions
The flagship show, Task Eternal, covers flight and space travel and is the only exhibition with an adult entry fee ($30, $20 concession, free for under-16s). It includes sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, a bumarang collected in Parramatta in the early 19th century and a test model of an Apollo command module. A special $40 ticket adds a light installation by US artist James Turrell at the top of a tower.
The other exhibitions are The Mall, on the history of shopping centres; The Dark, for children aged 4 to 12; Overflow, an installation of films by director Ivan Sen about Indigenous organisations caring for water and country; and a showcase of British designer Es Devlin. A 23-day opening festival begins alongside, with 65% of the program free.
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