090515 Urbano Final Spreads

Stories of Urban Revitalisation ∙ an

publication

{ making places }

winter 2009

WELCOME TO THE NEW LOOK URBANO The magazine’s new design is a reflection of a fresh approach to urban development in Perth.

CONTENTS 2 Snippets 4 what’s in a brand How should Perth be presenting itself to the world and why does it matter? We meet one of the world’s foremost authorities on nation branding. 6 Perth cultural centre – a cast of stars ready to shine Perth’s cultural heart is about to go through its most significant revamp. We look at how the Centre can become a cultural mecca in the city.

We talk to international place making expert Fred Kent about how to create cities that attract people. 15 making their mark We profile some of Perth’s most amazing creative sparks. 20 the urbanite file Eighty-three year-old Bill Chiew tells what it was like growing up Chinese in Northbridge half a century ago.

10 the place maker

Urbano is published by EPRA Editor: Purple Communications Art Direction and Design: Block (BlockBranding.com) Some of the views expressed in this magazine are personal and may not necessarily be those of EPRA and no responsibility is accepted for those views or their subsequent effects. Urbano is printed on 100% recycled, Australian-made paper. The manufacturing of the paper complied with environmental standard iso 14001. Please recycle.

‘Place making’ is being embraced by the public and private sector for its role in economically and socially successful developments around the world. Place making is the art of combining winning ingredients to turn a block of land into a destination that enlivens your senses, makes you smile and entices you to linger a little longer. Whether it’s a park, a public square or a street, a good place attracts people like moths to a flame. In our salute to this new world of urban development, Urbano examines the city with a place maker’s eye. International place making expert Fred Kent recently visited Perth and shares his ideas with Urbano. He envisages a chain of destinations linked across the city, to inject life and prosperity that will see Perth rise above the current economic uncertainty. One of the places set to star in the city’s future is the Perth Cultural Centre. A new vision for the redevelopment of the Cultural Centre is in the works, and Urbano gains a unique insight into this process from three key players. A sense of place not only comes from the tangible destinations that make up a city, it also comes from the intangible image the city conjures up. These two faces of ‘place’ feed off each other and so we also take a look at the Perth brand and how this is developing alongside our physical infrastructure. By its very nature place making is a partnership – a  joint effort between community, industry and government. So as you read through these pages remember, no matter who you are, you have a role to play in moulding future Perth. Perth is your place – embrace it!

SNIPPETS

SNIPPETS

The history of Cave

Perth’s dog whisperer Entrepreneurial animal lover Richard Gilroy walked away from a 30 year career in engineering six months ago to fill a hole in Perth’s growing pet care market. Today, his homemade organic dog treats are being shipped around the country and even as far away as Saudi Arabia. You’ll find Falka G’s Dog Treats at The Markets @ Perth Cultural Centre. “I love what I am doing and the small scale, personalised market environment is perfect for my product,” Richard says. “The response so far has been fantastic and the dogs are my best marketers. I’m sure that if dogs got pocket money, they’d spend it at Falka G’s!” The Markets @ Perth Cultural Centre operate 10am–5pm weekends and are located at the corner of Beaufort and James Streets, opposite the entrance to the WA Museum. Find out more at www.theperthmarkets.com.au

WA’s greenest building With its striking glass and burnt-orange metallic façade, 2 Victoria Avenue boasts architectural and technological features that will improve energy consumption, enhance occupant productivity and health, and minimise the building’s carbon footprint. The building is Western Australia’s greenest building, having recently been awarded the state’s first 6-Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. The office block features a grey water recycling system to reduce potable water demand, as well as extensive energy and water sub-metering facilities. Other innovations include wind turbines on the roof to provide green energy to the building, active chilled beams to provide low energy air conditioning and improved air quality and automated louvers which respond to sunlight, reducing radiant temperature and glare.

Australian musician, songwriter and author Nick Cave is now the subject of his own exhibition hosted by the Western Australian Museum in the Perth Cultural Centre from 23 May to 19 July 2009. Go behind the music and into Nick’s imagination and the sources of his unique vision through original lyrics, notebooks, artwork, photography and books. There will also be objects from the musician’s own library and office, and rare and previously unavailable video and documentary footage.

What a twit

Just when you thought you’d mastered social media by joining Facebook, a new online phenomenon is sweeping the world. In March 2009, a Nielsen. com blog ranked Twitter as the fastest growing site in the ‘Member Communities’ category, with a massive growth rate of 1 382%. ‘Tweets’ are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed

on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Some of the early adopters in Perth’s corporate world include Tourism Western Australia, abc News Perth, Transperth, Scitech and the Art Gallery of WA. And with the likes of Britney Spears to Kevin Rudd embracing the technology, we may soon see some of our own ‘Perthonalities’ twittering away.

A little piece of Rome in Perth Enjoy a little piece of Rome in the centre of Perth at the Central tafe Art Gallery. The international exhibition Rome … a shared response is showing at the Gallery until 30 May and features works by Guy and Margaret Vinciguerra. One of the city’s best kept secrets, the Central tafe Art Gallery has been bringing inspiration to both its students and the wider community for nearly ten years. With local, national and international exhibitions running throughout the year, the 2

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Gallery also showcases some of the creative wunderkinds to come out of Central tafe’s renowned art and design school – so next time you’re in Northbridge treat yourself and take a look. Find out what’s showing now at www.gallerycentral.com.au

Photograph by Guy Vinciguerra, from the exhibition Rome … a shared response.

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WHAT’S IN A BRAND? Think of Paris, and you think of style and romance. Tokyo is synonymous with technology, and London, sophistication. These may be simple stereotypes, but they are part of a global ‘brand’ each city has fostered and which helps them compete in the world market. So, what image or identity does Perth paint in the eyes of the rest of the world?

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ccording to nation branding advisor Simon Anholt, Perth  is something of a blank canvas. He believes Perth currently has no discernible global brand; that it is an ‘un-launched’ product with an opportunity to stamp itself as a great global city. Anholt is a uk-based specialist in the identity and reputation of places. An independent policy advisor, he is regularly called upon by governments and civil leaders to develop strategies to improve their international reputation. Why is this important? Because in the new global market, cities are constantly competing 4

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for their share of the world’s attention, and its consumers, tourists, investors, students and events. Anholt was recently invited to put forward some initial thoughts on Perth and its identity as part of the Creative Capital program run by form – an independent cultural organisation working to develop wa’s competitiveness and creativity. He paints an optimistic outlook for Perth’s brand potential. “Perth has all the components of greatness in its reach,” Anholt says. “My question is this: do the city and its  region – its people, business and government – fully understand what they need to do next? Are they willing and able to lead Perth from a city enjoying a lucky break to a world class city for generations to come.”

Anholt suggests that Perth already has a number of key ingredients for success. “The key advantage is its wealth and the fact that in the modern age, being geographically remote is no longer an absolute obstacle to becoming a ‘mainstream city’. “Most of the world’s great cities are great because, at some point in their history, they have been big, powerful, rich or beautiful – or sometimes a combination of all these factors. London and Rome were imperial capitals, New York and Dubai had wealth, Venice and Paris and Florence were rich and beautiful.” A big ‘lucky break’ for Perth in a global branding sense, is what Anholt describes as the incalculable advantage of being an Australian city.

“Being situated in a country with one of the strongest brand images on earth means that it has a large amount of international goodwill on tap,” he says. He believes this has been a key factor behind the strong international brands of Sydney and Melbourne, and is something from which Perth will also profit. “The disadvantage is that, as a city without a long history of wealth, the cultural heritage is all to be built, and its name has yet to be made. Adding a new city to the long list of prominent places that people already hold in their memories is a very significant challenge. “In some ways Perth faces similar opportunities and challenges to cities in the Middle East like Dubai and Abu Dhabi – lots of money coming in according to  rather unpredictable cycles from the exploitation of raw materials, but big challenges in attracting and retaining human capital.” Critical to a city’s success in etching its place in the world’s memory is personality. A great city, Anholt says, is one that feeds the soul. “Most places, Perth included, have their own ‘personality’ – the challenge is in getting them to behave like themselves, and making the investments and the architecture and the policies match that identity. “Culture is tremendously important in developing characterful, stimulating cities where people actually want to live, and it needs to be generously funded. This probably does need to be steered by government, but not ‘owned’ by them.” Some of Perth’s local city leaders agree that the city has not yet carved itself a distinctive global brand, but that it is a work in progress with big potential. Graham Moss, president of the WA Tourism Council (and wa football legend), believes Perth will benefit from an icon and identity. “Within Australia, you think of other cities and an iconic image or identity comes to mind – for Sydney it is the Harbour and

Bridge, for Melbourne it is the sport and event culture,” Moss says. Moss believes Perth’s distinguishing features are its natural assets and relaxed cosmopolitan lifestyle, and that it makes sense to build a brand around these qualities. “I think what brand Perth may currently have is wrapped around the Swan River, Kings Park and the beaches, and I believe we can build on this – particularly including Rottnest Island – as a distinct brand Simon Anholt for Perth.” He says this needs to be complemented city which represents freedom of choice.” by ongoing revitalisation of the inner city – Scaffidi believes that while Perth may and further linking it to the river, as well as not yet have a renowned global brand, it is continuing to foster development of art and on the path to building one.

“Being situated in a country with one of the strongest brand images on earth means that it has a large amount of international goodwill on tap.” cultural hubs. Moss says there is also an op“Perth will emerge as one of the world’s portunity to build an image as a clean, fresh ‘boutique’ cities with a balance between viand environmentally-friendly global city. brancy and maintaining the characteristics For its part, the City of Perth is focused of a small city.” on engaging the people of Perth (as well as visitors) to experience, understand and enjoy the city. Creating this sense of self is something Anholt says is critical to developing a global identity. Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi says this brand proposition aims to reflect a youthful, vibrant and energised city, balanced with a relaxed style. “It captures the essence of what the city famously offers by way of being part of our very wa lifestyle, with easy access, urban shopping and dining experiences, with plenty of work and money to spend on city-based recreation, culture and entertainment,” she says. “Perth owns the feeling of youthful, professional, abundant, accessible, fresh, satisfying, growing-up fast and freedom. It’s a urbano winter 2009

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Perth Cultural Centre A cast of stars ready to shine Perth city is in the enviable position of having all its star cultural institutions centre stage. But the Perth Cultural Centre, as the area bound by Roe, William, Aberdeen and Beaufort Streets is known, has so far been unable to provide a suitably impressive supporting act to these major public institutions.

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urning around the fortunes of the cultural centre precinct has begun, with a host of new events recently introduced including weekly markets, the hugely successful Earth from Above outdoor exhibition and indie music event the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival. Leaders of the key institutions – including the Art Gallery of wa, State Library, wa Museum, Department of Culture and the Arts, Perth Institute for Contemporary Arts (pica), the Blue Room and soon the State Theatre Centre – are uniting to develop a vision and bring the Perth Cultural Centre to life. Defining this vision will be the first step in giving the area the love and attention it needs to fulfil its role as Perth’s premier cultural destination. In keeping with this spirit of collaboration, Urbano explores this coming of age with three key players: the Director General of the Department of Culture and the Arts; the ceo of Melbourne’s Federation Square; and the Director of the Art Gallery of wa. Director General of the Department of Culture and the Arts Allanah Lucas laments that today, if you asked a taxi driver to take you to the Perth Cultural Centre, he’d probably be lost.

“Currently the Perth Cultural Centre is little more than a pedestrian thoroughfare linking the train station to Northbridge. It is not obvious to those who pass through that our major cultural institutions are housed there,” says Lucas. “The area is hard to find and there is no natural flow between the buildings and spaces. It’s symptomatic of the architecture of the period, but now it’s time to adapt the Centre to suit 21st century requirements.” Developers now recognise that the public space between buildings is integral to the success of the tenants they house. The experience of people moving through the area cannot be ignored in the design process. Lucas says Parisian plazas illustrate how good access points open up internal environments and sees them spill out onto the pavement. “We need to treat these external spaces like they’re another room of the existing buildings. Ground floor access needs to provide a sense of porosity and linkages between the different destinations within the area.” The time is right for the rejuvenation of the Perth Cultural Centre precinct, with its western border in William Street currently urbano winter 2009

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Lead singer Nick Johnston from Cut Off Your Hands at the recent St Jerome’s Laneway Festival in the Perth Cultural Centre. The indie music event attracted up to 5000 music fans to see more than 30 local, national and international bands.

undergoing a face-lift, and the new State Theatre Centre scheduled to open in 2010. A great advocate of the State Theatre Centre, Lucas lights up when she describes the new venue. “The State Theatre Centre will introduce contemporary architecture and activate a corner of the city that has been dead for about 30 years. It will give the precinct a chance to present a ‘face’ across Roe Street and into the city, revealing to passers-by that something is going on in the area. It will be a beacon – quite literally – as both a landmark and a building of light that will allow people to see in and be enticed to join the excitement.”

Thinking about arts and culture Allanah Lucas Director General – Department of Culture and the Arts As a professional arts administrator, performing arts producer, presenter and practitioner, researcher, consultant and tutor, Lucas embodies a diversity of business, creative and academic skills. Having worked in the arts for over 25 years both in Australia and the uk, she was appointed Director General of the Department of Culture and the Arts in 2008.

“We need to ask ‘what is the Cultural Centre and what role do we want it to play?’”

Kate Brennan Chief Executive Officer – Fed Square Pty Ltd Since her appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Fed Square in 2005, Brennan has been integral to developing Federation Square as the heart of Melbourne’s community and cultural celebrations. Her passion for the arts and place management are well known and she has spoken extensively on these issues around the country and overseas.

– Allanah Lucas But for the rest of the Perth Cultural Centre, it’s back to basics. “Our first focus must be on improving the basic infrastructure in the area. This will require thinking through how we want the area to work in relation to people. We need to ask ‘what is the Cultural Centre and what role do we want it to play?’ “Once we have the answers to these questions the planning can begin in earnest.” And rest assured it can be done. Think Federation Square in Melbourne. Although poles apart today, Fed Square has a lot of synergies with the Perth Cultural Centre – both centrally located near transport and retail hubs and housing important cultural venues – and it demonstrates what makes a successful destination in practice. According to Fed Square ceo Kate Brennan, last year was their busiest yet with more than eight million visitors and, if the trajectory continues, this year will be even busier. “Perhaps the single most important aspect of the success of Fed Square is that a clear civic and cultural charter was developed as the foundation for the design. This provided a guide for what was intended through Fed Square and which all architectural responses were required to address. “The charter talks about creating a stimulating, comfortable, entertaining, educational area that reflects the culture and arts and attracts local and international visitors. The fact the community has voted with their feet means we’ve managed to achieve that vision.”

otherwise fall into our lap. We make a lot of effort to advertise and draw people in that way, but because we’re not visible and accessible, we miss out on a lot of ‘walk-in’ patrons.” Growing up in Venice, a city literally swimming in culture, Carboni is passionate about the importance of creating a special home for the arts and culture in Perth. “Every city should have a cultural core. Culture and the arts provides intellectual nourishment for the eye and ear; a way to understand human life and nature better. It’s good for the soul and the mind. “It’s also a good investment as it attracts locals and visitors to the area. When a city can offer different types of intelligent entertainment, the city automatically becomes a lively place where people come to spend money.” ed by epra, the process of creating a clear vision for the One thing is clear – a bright new future is waiting in the wings Perth Cultural Centre has already begun, and ‘tenants’ for the Perth Cultural Centre. A feeling of anticipation that rivals like Art Gallery Director Stefano Carboni are enthu- opening night at the theatre is evident. In the coming months, a siastic about seeing the precinct live up to its potential. new vision will emerge that will combine artistic innovation, lively He echoes Lucas’ thoughts on the importance of access. programming, and dynamic economic revival to turn the Perth “We need to create synergy so that people will be able to Cultural Centre into a place ‘for discovery’ for all cultures and ages. walk through the central square and into the gallery without even realising they’ve moved indoors,” Carboni says. “It is in everybody’s best interest that we develop an effective shared space. The fact that the Centre is not yet a destination prevents the Gallery from capturing a lot of visitors that would

Dr Stefano Carboni Director – Art Gallery of Western Australia After growing up in Venice, studying in London and working in the Department of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Carboni brings a global perspective to his role as Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Since his appointment in October 2008 he has worked tirelessly to build the Gallery’s reputation both locally and internationally.

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The Earth From Above photographic exhibition is one of the many new events drawing more visitors into the Perth Cultural Centre.

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In these difficult economic times, can we afford to invest time and money in creating special places for our city? According to international place making expert Fred Kent, we can’t afford not to. In fact, Kent says that place making is a cost-effective way to revive prosperity through alternative economic and urban growth.

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Photograph by Johannes Reinhart

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aying serious attention to places represents a breakthrough for our society. It can spark genuine progress in how we govern ourselves, how we are involved in our communities, how streets and public spaces feel to us, how we shop, work, play and socialise with our friends. “Rather than being hampered by the global downturn, this trend could be strengthened as people look closer to home to take advantage of all things local: producing local food; promoting local businesses; preserving local character; protecting local open space and public places; and finding meaningful ways to belong to a local community.” As founder and president of Project for Public Spaces (pps), Kent is known throughout the world as one of the foremost thinkers in livability, smart growth and the future of the city. Based in New York but active throughout the world, pps is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities. Kent has spent the last 30 years as an advocate for creating places that draw people in to sit, laugh, socialise and linger a while. He has thousands of photos of places around the world that he uses to illustrate what makes a good and bad public space. Essentially, he says it comes down to whether the people in them seem relaxed and happy. People will tell you by their behaviour what they like, what they don’t like, and what they want. Place making is the art of recognising, translating and implementing this to create successful destinations. 12

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“Place making draws on the unique assets inherent in each and every community,” Kent explains. “It recognises community members’ deep knowledge about the place they call home, ushering in a sense of collective pride and ownership. Using these strengths to work toward common goals involves everyone in the process and results in high quality projects that succeed both commercially and socially.” Recognising the success of place making principles around the world, epra recently invited Kent and pps Senior Vice President Kathy Madden to Perth to provide counsel on how our planners, government and industry can transform our ailing public areas into places that are treasured by young and old. After walking the beat through our streets, malls and parks, Kent and Madden are optimistic about our city’s ability to rise above the current economic slump. “It is important to point out some of the wonderful qualities that exist in Perth. It is a city that reveals itself as you begin to discover all of the hidden places that give it character and make it unique,” says Kent. “One of Perth’s best qualities is its human scale which is evident on many levels, from the size of the streets to the spaces that connect them. For example, both Hay and Murray Streets are very comfortable streets for walking. And the arcades and shopping corridors that connect the two have the potential to make the city one of the best urban centres anywhere.” While he praises Perth’s urban core and recognises that the city features some attractive destinations, Kent says there are significant opportunities to enhance the overall vitality of the area.

“A great district has at least ten great places that define people’s experience and are dynamic enough to attract a range of user groups, keep people coming back, and keep evolving.” – Fred Kent “pps contends that a great place needs to have at least ten things to do in it, or ten reasons to be there – we call this ‘The Power of Ten’. This might include a place to sit, art to see, water to touch, food to eat or history to learn about – it all depends on what appeals to the people that would use the space. “The principle then follows that a great district has at least ten great places that define people’s experience and are dynamic enough to attract a range of user groups, keep people coming back, and keep evolving. “To complete the concept of ‘The Power of Ten’, a great city needs at least ten great districts or destinations, each with ten places and ten things to do in each place.” Based on this place making strategy, Kent says Perth could improve key existing spaces and add new ones so that there is a network of successful, well-functioning public spaces throughout the city.

“With the goal of becoming a city of well-linked destinations, I believe Perth needs to expand people’s perceptions of the size of the downtown area, enhance and create additional city destinations such as Kings Park and Forrest Place, and transform the cultural district into a thriving, year-round destination that draws patrons from each side of the train station.” Drawing on great waterfront cities around the world, Kent also offers an opinion on what is perhaps Perth’s greatest asset and most controversial development opportunity. “Creating a great urban waterfront could be the biggest opportunity the city has or will ever have in the future. The execution of a waterfront plan should be seen as part of a larger campaign with a broad vision around well-connected public destinations, a transit access plan and a plan for increasing residential use to lay the groundwork for a major development strategy for Perth.”

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ent’s views are echoed by Australia’s own leading authority on place making, President of Place Leaders Association Malcolm Snow. “Like many other Australian cities, Perth has huge potential to reinforce its distinctive and unique qualities. I believe this is the real challenge of place making – to reinforce city character and structure by understanding and interpreting the sense of place that marks each environment as being different from any other place,” Snow says. But how can all this happen when both the private and public sector are tightening their purse strings? Snow sees a silver lining to the current economic storm clouds. “It raises the bar in terms urbano winter 2009

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Photograph by Tony Scalzo, courtesy of the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority.

THE PLACE MAKER

of the design challenge. But I believe that this is a good thing as it means those who have that responsibility think more strategically about how they can ensure they are creating flexibility for the public domain to be adaptable, irrespective of the economic conditions. “It is absolutely critical that at a time when we need to continue priming a faltering economy through investment in urban infrastructure that government and the private sector focus on developing places that are not merely commercially sound but can also incorporate facilities and activities that make them very appealing.” And like Kent, Snow believes there is a growing recognition that spending money on making attractive, effective destinations is a smart investment. “We’re seeing a reinvestment in cities, certainly at a capital city level but also in key regional cities around Australia. I believe this is happening because governments are recognising both the economic and social return on investment that comes from creating places that become attractive destinations. “A big part of determining what makes an attractive destination is in the hands of the community – after all, they are the ultimate users of the places we create. I have seen some beautiful places that are ultimately not well used because the user has been excluded from the design process. Through constructive input from community members, designers can capture these good ideas and ensure there is real ownership in both the process and the outcome. This is how successful place making is achieved.”

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“A big part of determining what makes an attractive destination is in the hands of the community…” – Malcolm Snow

Kent’s parting word on the subject drives home the necessity for strong partnerships between the community, government and industry. “When resources are tight, we must be clear about our priorities. That means drawing upon the wisdom of the community as a whole to set those goals, making the most of your best assets and developing partnerships to get things done. This is how you can ensure that your community will thrive even in these uncertain times.”

MAKING THEIR MARK Perth’s creative set are making their mark on the city with designers, artists and performers joining together to inject a certain je-ne-saisquoi into our streets. Urbano takes a look at a few of the people driving this revolution, and asks them how they’d like see Perth take shape in coming years.

Ellington Jazz Club Based on jazz clubs in the ‘home’ of jazz, New York, The Ellington was born out of owner Graeme Wood’s desire to provide a comfortable, nonthreatening environment for jazz lovers to soak up the music, and a purpose-built space for fellow jazz musicians to do what they do best. Here, jazz club owner and pianist Graeme Wood sits at his favourite seat in the house to chat with Urbano. “Perth actually has a very strong jazz scene, but there is a talent drain as musicians move to cities that provide greater employment opportunities. A lot of pubs and clubs will employ Top 40 cover bands but are not prepared to risk having their bottom line hit if they go for a band that is not so ‘white bread’. “As a working musician through most of the 1990s I know how difficult it is to piece together a living off playing music. They say it takes over 10 000 hours of practice to become a top class musician, so when you look at it that way, it really is brain surgery. These people have incredible skills to be able to do what they do, and it’s great to be able to foster that in Perth. “I would really like to see a greater variety and flexibility in the options available for both musicians and punters in Perth. We’re beginning to see more small funky little joints open up that people can hang out in and hopefully with the new Liquor Licensing Act, this will continue to grow.”

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Sugar Blue Burlesque Modern day burlesque is a performance art which hosts elements of elaborate costuming, glamorous hair and makeup, dance, tease, theatre, mime and comedy, all in a style that emulates the past. Sugar Blue Burlesque was the first to introduce this revived performance art here in Perth, and Director Melanie Bruyer (aka A’dora Derierre, pictured left) tells us how they have built up a committed audience and student base. “Perth has always had a more ‘underground’ art and performance scene than perhaps other cities in Australia. We are now seeing a return to cabaret and vaudeville style shows made popular in the past and Perth audiences are embracing burlesque in all its forms. “Burlesque has and will continue to encourage people who may not normally go to a theatre show to see live performance. It is a very visual and creative medium which inspires and entertains, and many students of burlesque tell us that the art form has given them confidence and a new love for their own body image. This is a great achievement and we want to continue with this. “There are clear signs Perth is headed for a much healthier and better supported performance scene in the near future, and I believe that burlesque will play a part in this growth.”

Photography by David Woolley

Scarlot O’Harlot

Street Gallery #1: Participating artists in Artrage and Western Power’s Street Gallery #1 mural on Roe Street, Jodee Knowles and ‘Creepy’ paint the town red … and green and blue and yellow. “I’d like to see the city come alive and loosen up a bit – we’re not machines. Hopefully works like the Roe Street mural will break the stigma with street art and show that it’s actually not that scary”, says Creepy. “The problem is, if you spend your time thinking about what you shouldn’t be doing, you’ll end up doing nothing. There is actually a really rich core of amazingly talented artists who are doing good things for Perth. “We’re seeing a few small galleries and independent artists banding together to cut the red tape around art in Perth, so there does seem to be a change in the air.” According to Jodee, “There are only positives that can come from street art like the Roe Street mural. There’s no question it’s better than a grey wall of concrete and it is fantastic to see the cultural side of Perth coming through. “We’re beginning to see the ‘low brow’ genre, which used to be seen as less valuable than ‘fine art’, building more of a profile and this is really important because it has great appeal and can have a massive impact in public areas. Hopefully this continues to grow and find more of a place in the city.”

PICA’s Hatched Exhibition: An icon of contemporary thinking, the Perth Institute for Contemporary Arts (pica) works to enable emerging and established artists to achieve their full potential, and encourages Western Australians to be a part of a rich and adventurous cultural experience. Each year, pica hosts the hatched National Graduate Show, which over its 18 year history has helped kick-start more than 1000 artistic careers. Featured among the new crop of national art talent is local artist, Janet Carter. Pictured right, her installation Oh be men or be more than men draws analogies between our internal ‘plumbing’, our built environment and the hidden systems embedded therein. Carter gives Urbano an insight into the contemporary art scene in Perth. “Western Australian art schools have a good representation in the hatched exhibition, which is a tribute to the great job they’re doing in preparing young artists to deal with the contemporary art world. I’ve just completed a Visual Arts degree at Edith Cowan University and I’ve been impressed with the realistic and practical grounding lecturers provide to equip you to make it in what is a pretty tough industry. “There is a thriving supportive art community in Perth that is generating some interesting outcomes and hopefully this will expand over time. The support pica provides emerging artists through initiatives like the hatched exhibition is crucial, and the fact we’re able to hold this high profile event here in Perth is really important for the growth of the city.”

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THE URBANITE FILE Name Bill Chiew Born Northbridge Lives Doubleview Works Retired Loves His sports – baseball, cricket and football

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s a young Chinese boy growing up in Northbridge, 83-year-old Bill Chiew remembers it as a very different place. Where there are now restaurants and bars, there were market gardens and stables, and this spelt opportunity for Bill’s father Timothy, who in 1898 had moved to Perth in search of work. “At about 16-years-old, and on his own, my father moved to Perth from China to start a new life,” Bill said. Tim joined what was then a growing Perth Chinese community, which consisted of about 840 predominately single men. Determined to make a go of it, and despite the looming influence of the Great Depression, Tim set up his own business in the 1930s. Trading as J & S Chiew Produce Merchants, the store thrived, and became a landmark at 99 – 101 James Street for more than 40 years.

“There weren’t a lot of Chinese people – most worked in the market gardens all day and only came in at night.” Its stock in trade was supplying goods for the market gardens and stables littered throughout the area. Its speciality items included its famous manure – especially shipped in from Melbourne. Some of Bill’s earliest childhood memories were helping out at the family store after school in the 1930s. From here, he witnessed a small, tight-knit and enterprising Chinese community during those days. “There weren’t a lot of Chinese people – most worked in the market gardens all day and only came in at night,” he said. “They were happy, but worked hard and didn’t seem to have much social life,” Bill said. Bill remembers the Chung Wah Association right across the road from his father’s store. Formed in 1909, Chung Wah was Perth’s first ethnic association, and played a pivotal role in fostering the social and cultural needs of wa’s Chinese residents. This year, Chung Wah marks its 100 year anniversary. Bill’s family has an equally long connection, starting with his maternal grandfather, James Lee Wood who was a founding member, and continuing with the active involvement today of he and wife Beryl.

TELL US WHAT A VITAL PERTH MEANS TO YOU EPRA is responsible for the redevelopment of over 220 hectares of inner city land from East Perth, through the cbd, to Northbridge. Underpinning this development is our vision for a Vital Perth. To us, this is innovative urban redevelopment that fosters vibrant communities. It’s quality infrastructure and architecture, inspired by the natural beauty and heritage of our city, with future generations in mind. It’s listening to our community, industry, development partners and local and state government. It’s working together to revitalise urban places. What is your vision for a Vital Perth? EPRA welcomes your input and opinion. Visit epra.wa.gov.au to join the discussion.