Artful Wandering in Sydney

Yesterday marked the first day I actually got out and got to see a bit of the city. I left my room at about noon to join everyone at a “Unimates” BBQ. (The Unimates is a student run campus club of sorts for everyone to get together and do stuff.. like BBQs and coffee and cakes). A few of us had decided to head down to the Roads and Traffic Authority (The RTA) and get Australia ID cards so we didn’t have to carry our passports around to get into bars and so we’d have a souvenir to bring home. The photo cards cost $45 and require proof of residency. I forgot my passport, so I went back to get it.

After a 25 minute or so walk to the RTA, we got numbers and waited to be called.

Unfortunately, they informed us that they couldn’t accept our residential agreements as proof of residency because they were photocopied (a fact that the staff here at SUV seemed unaware of), and we were turned away. Ah well.  I may or may not go back and try again with the original; I don’t really get ID’d to buy alcohol at stores, and at clubs and bars they have been pretty accepting of my US driver’s license so far.

RTA office in Downtown Sydney

On the return trip, we headed into a busy marketplace down my Central Station. Vendors lined the building selling just about everything you could imagine. Cheap flashlights and lighters, samurai swords and knives, boomerangs, clothing, underwear, wigs, electronics, fish, produce, massages… it was a sight to behold for sure! I bought a couple of small items, haggling on price because it seemed fitting for the venue and got some pretty good deals. After we left the market, I decided to do a bit of exploring. Nobody else really wanted to do any extra walking, so I set off solo to check out the city. I got an email from my Digital Arts professor indicating that we should all go check out the Biennial of Sydney (A biannual art exhibit with venues all around the city) before it shuts down next week, and that our first assignment would be an Art Review. It was already 3PM or so and the venues closed at 5, so I didn’t think I’d have too much hope of seeing much, but I figured I would at least go and see where the venues were and do a waling tour of the city.

I started past the Sydney Expo Center towards Darling Harbor, and made my way up the waterfront. On the way I passed by the largest IMAX Theater in the world (which I plan on seeing Inception at at some point, the little screen I saw it on near school didn’t do it justice).

Largest IMAX screen in the world!

I continued on past the Aquarium and up to a shipping yard along the coast, into an area called “Barangaroo.” Apparently the city of Sydney is reclaiming this old industrial land along the waterfront and plans to do a bit of Urban renewal, adding valuable waterfront real estate to the the mix. As it stands now, the land consists of a bunch of empty parking lots and concrete docks. They’ve at least put up some signage and painted bike and pedestrian paths, as well as added a few benches and shaded pavilions. Not a bad start!

Barangaroo Sign

I walked along the coast into the area called Walsh Bay. Walking through Walsh Bay, I came across a couple of rather nice public art pieces, including a nice subtle blue steel sculpture, and a more interesting modern piece with a car crushed by a rock in the center of a roundabout, complete with “Artwork Ahead” and “End Artwork” signs. Cute.

A few blocks brought me to a pier with what looked like an old warehouse on it. As I passed by, I noticed a dock for a ferry, complete with the familiar Biennial of Sydney artwork. Walking around, i saw signs for an entrance and realized I had stumbled across one of the many venues for the biennial exhibits. It was 4:50, and the venue closed at 5, so I figured I’d check it out. Indeed, the signs that led me to the entrance led me into what looked like an old warehouse or factory that had been gutted and outfitted with some artwork. The Walsh Bay venue was a bit thin, but did include some interesting pieces, including  Neon piece titled “Reverse Missionary” by Newell Harry, some quilts, a video exhibit, and a large boat by US Artist Paul McCarthy titled “Ships of Fools, Ship Adrift 2″ made out of what looked like recycled construction materials (pipe, wood, steel, spray foam, caulk, carpet, etc). In case you’re wondering, the Neon reads “Nerveless Rats Hesitate/As Venereal Theists Rest”. Newell also did the quilts, but the Neon was quite a bit more interesting to me.

Reverse Missionary by Newell Harry

Ship of Fools, Ship Adrift 2 by Paul McCarthy

I chatted with the woman working there and asked about the bus system and how to get around. She pulled out her iPhone and loaded up a nifty app that pulled up public transportation times, routes, and maps. On my way, now at least a bit more informed on the Sydney public transportation system, I kept walking toward Circular Quay. As the street rounded the corner, the infamous Sydney Opera House filled my view, across a very busy boat channel.

Sydney Opera House

I continued on, until I found the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art in Circular Quay, another venue for the Biennial, and the other ferry location. I wandered around the quay, enjoying the sights and entertainment from street performers, and then headed off to figure out the bus system.

Since it was before 8PM you couldn’t pay cash fare on the bus and needed to have a pre-paid “mybus” pass to ride the bus. I found the closest vendor and bought a few passes (at $3.30 each) for the bus, and asked for the best route home. He pointed me in the right direction and I was off back to campus.

After a shower, I joined everyone to celebrate Ben’s birthday. We grabbed some food at small pizza place near by and hopped on the bus back toward circular quay, to the area known as “The Rocks”. We went to a club called Argyle and had a great time. After we all went to get pancakes at a restaurant fittingly called “Pancakes on the Rocks”. Its open 24 hours, and seems to do pretty good business. The smaller group I ended up with caught a cab home (Which cost… $30), as they couldn’t be bothered to figure out the bus system. Not a bad Friday! I’m not sure where I’m going tonight, but I have a feeling Karaoke is going to be involved… and Kings Cross. Should be fun!