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
CONTENTS fresh approach to urban development in Perth.

2 Snippets We talk to international

4 what’s in a brand place making expert ‘Place making’ is being embraced by the public and
Fred Kent about how
How should Perth be to create cities that private sector for its role in economically and socially
presenting itself to the attract people. successful developments around the world.
world and why does it
matter? We meet one Place making is the art of combining winning in-
of the world’s foremost 15 making their mark gredients to turn a block of land into a destination that
authorities on nation We profile some of enlivens your senses, makes you smile and entices you
branding. Perth’s most amazing to linger a little longer. Whether it’s a park, a public
creative sparks.
6 Perth cultural centre square or a street, a good place attracts people like
– a cast of stars ready 20 the urbanite file moths to a flame.
to shine
Eighty-three year-old In our salute to this new world of urban develop-
Perth’s cultural heart Bill Chiew tells what
is about to go through ment, Urbano examines the city with a place maker’s
it was like growing up
its most significant Chinese in Northbridge eye. International place making expert Fred Kent re-
revamp. We look at how half a century ago. cently visited Perth and shares his ideas with Urbano.
the Centre can become
a cultural mecca in He envisages a chain of destinations linked across the
the city. city, to inject life and prosperity that will see Perth rise
10 the place maker 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 rede-
velopment 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
Urbano is published by EPRA destinations that make up a city, it also comes from
Editor: Purple Communications
the intangible image the city conjures up. These two
Art Direction and Design: Block (BlockBranding.com) faces of ‘place’ feed off each other and so we also take
a look at the Perth brand and how this is developing
Some of the views expressed in this magazine are
personal and may not necessarily be those of EPRA and
alongside our physical infrastructure.
no responsibility is accepted for those views or their By its very nature place making is a partnership
subsequent effects. – a  joint effort between community, industry and
Urbano is printed on 100% recycled, Australian-made
government. So as you read through these pages
paper. The manufacturing of the paper complied with remember, no matter who you are, you have a role to
environmental standard iso 14001. Please recycle. play in moulding future Perth. Perth is your place –
embrace it!
SNIPPETS
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
2 urbano winter 2009
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.
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
SNIPPETS
The history of Cave
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.
Just when you thought you’d on the user’s profile page and
What
mastered social media by delivered to other users who
joining Facebook, a new online have signed up to receive them.
a twit phenomenon is sweeping the Some of the early adopters in
world. In March 2009, a Nielsen. Perth’s corporate world include
com blog ranked Twitter as Tourism Western Australia, abc
the fastest growing site in News Perth, Transperth, Scitech
the ‘Member Communities’ and the Art Gallery of WA. And
category, with a massive growth with the likes of Britney Spears
rate of 1 382%. to Kevin Rudd embracing the
‘Tweets’ are text-based technology, we may soon see
posts of up to 140 characters in some of our own ‘Perthonalities’
length. Updates are displayed twittering away.
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.
urbano winter 2009 3

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?
A
ccording to nation brand-
ing advisor Simon Anholt,
Perth  is something of a
blank canvas.
He believes Perth cur-
rently 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 in-
dependent 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 urbano winter 2009
for their share of the world’s attention, and
its consumers, tourists, investors, students
and events.
Anholt was recently invited to put for-
ward some initial thoughts on Perth and its
identity as part of the Creative Capital pro-
gram run by form – an independent cul-
tural 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 great-
ness in its reach,” Anholt says. “My ques-
tion 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 geo-
graphically 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 with-
out 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 op-
portunities and challenges to cities in
the Middle East like Dubai and Abu
Dhabi – lots of money coming in accord-
ing 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 get-
ting them to behave like themselves, and
making the investments and the architec-
ture 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 prob-
ably 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 dis-
tinctive 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 cit-
ies 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 fea-
tures are its natural assets and relaxed cos-
mopolitan 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 includ-
ing 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 vi-
and 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 devel-
oping 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 enter-
tainment,” she says.
“Perth owns the feeling of youthful, pro-
fessional, abundant, accessible, fresh, satis-
fying, growing-up fast and freedom. It’s a
urbano winter 2009 5
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.
T
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 Gal-
lery 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 build-
ings is integral to the success of the tenants they house. The expe-
rience 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 Cen-
tre precinct, with its western border in William Street currently
urbano winter 2009 7
 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.
Thinking about arts and culture
“The State Theatre Centre will introduce contemporary architec-
ture and activate a corner of the city that has been dead for about Allanah Lucas
30 years. It will give the precinct a chance to present a ‘face’ across Director General – Department of Culture and the Arts
Roe Street and into the city, revealing to passers-by that something As a professional arts administrator, performing arts pro-
is going on in the area. It will be a beacon – quite literally – as both ducer, presenter and practitioner, researcher, consultant
and tutor, Lucas embodies a diversity of business, creative
a landmark and a building of light that will allow people to see in and academic skills. Having worked in the arts for over
and be enticed to join the excitement.” 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 Kate Brennan

and what role do we want it to play?’” Chief Executive Officer – Fed Square Pty Ltd
Since her appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Fed
– Allanah Lucas Square in 2005, Brennan has been integral to develop-
ing Federation Square as the heart of Melbourne’s com-
munity and cultural celebrations. Her passion for the
arts and place management are well known and she has
But for the rest of the Perth Cultural Centre, it’s back to basics. spoken extensively on these issues around the country
and overseas.
“Our first focus must be on improving the basic infrastructure in
the area. This will require thinking through how we want the area Dr Stefano Carboni
to work in relation to people. We need to ask ‘what is the Cultural Director – Art Gallery of Western Australia
Centre and what role do we want it to play?’ After growing up in Venice, studying in London
“Once we have the answers to these questions the planning can and working in the Department of Islamic Art at The
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Carboni
begin in earnest.” brings a global perspective to his role as Director of
And rest assured it can be done. Think Federation Square in the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Since his appoint-
Melbourne. Although poles apart today, Fed Square has a lot of ment in October 2008 he has worked tirelessly to build
the Gallery’s reputation both locally and internationally.
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. otherwise fall into our lap. We make a lot of effort to advertise
According to Fed Square ceo Kate Brennan, last year was their and draw people in that way, but because we’re not visible and
busiest yet with more than eight million visitors and, if the trajec- accessible, we miss out on a lot of ‘walk-in’ patrons.”
tory continues, this year will be even busier. Growing up in Venice, a city literally swimming in culture, Car-
“Perhaps the single most important aspect of the success of Fed boni is passionate about the importance of creating a special home
Square is that a clear civic and cultural charter was developed as for the arts and culture in Perth.
the foundation for the design. This provided a guide for what was “Every city should have a cultural core. Culture and the arts
intended through Fed Square and which all architectural responses provides intellectual nourishment for the eye and ear; a way to
were required to address. understand human life and nature better. It’s good for the soul
“The charter talks about creating a stimulating, comfortable, en- and the mind.
tertaining, educational area that reflects the culture and arts and “It’s also a good investment as it attracts locals and visitors
attracts local and international visitors. The fact the community has to the area. When a city can offer different types of intelligent
voted with their feet means we’ve managed to achieve that vision.” entertainment, the city automatically becomes a lively place where

L
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 The Earth From Above photographic exhibition is one of the many new events drawing
prevents the Gallery from capturing a lot of visitors that would more visitors into the Perth Cultural Centre.

8 urbano winter 2009 urbano winter 2009 9

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.

urbano winter 2009 11


“P
aying serious attention to places represents
a breakthrough for our society. It can spark
genuine progress in how we govern our-
selves, how we are involved in our commu-
nities, how streets and public spaces feel to
us, how we shop, work, play and socialise
with our friends.
“Rather than being hampered by the glo-
bal 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 mean-
ingful 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 think-
ers 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 suc-
cessful destinations.
12 urbano winter 2009
“Place making draws on the unique assets inherent in each and
every community,” Kent explains. “It recognises community mem-
bers’ 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 con-
nect 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.
Photograph by Johannes Reinhart
“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 oppor-
tunity 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.”
K
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 po-
tential 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 inter-
preting 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 13
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 pub-
lic 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 infra-
structure that government and the private sector focus on devel-
oping 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 eco-
nomic 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 commu-
nity 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.”
14 urbano winter 2009
Photograph by Tony Scalzo, courtesy of the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority.
MAKING THEIR MARK
Ellington Jazz Club
“A big part of determining what makes Based on jazz clubs in the ‘home’ of jazz, New
York, The Ellington was born out of owner Graeme
an attractive destination is in the Wood’s desire to provide a comfortable, non-
threatening environment for jazz lovers to soak
hands of the community…” Perth’s creative set are making their mark on up the music, and a purpose-built space for fellow
the city with designers, artists and performers jazz musicians to do what they do best. Here, jazz
– Malcolm Snow club owner and pianist Graeme Wood sits at his
joining together to inject a certain je-ne-sais- favourite seat in the house to chat with Urbano.
quoi into our streets. Urbano takes a look at a “Perth actually has a very strong jazz scene, but
few of the people driving this revolution, and there is a talent drain as musicians move to cities
that provide greater employment opportunities. A
Kent’s parting word on the subject drives home the necessity asks them how they’d like see Perth take shape lot of pubs and clubs will employ Top 40 cover
for strong partnerships between the community, government and in coming years. bands but are not prepared to risk having their
industry. bottom line hit if they go for a band that is not
“When resources are tight, we must be clear about our priorities. so ‘white bread’.
That means drawing upon the wisdom of the community as a whole “As a working musician through most of the
1990s I know how difficult it is to piece together
to set those goals, making the most of your best assets and devel- a living off playing music. They say it takes over
oping partnerships to get things done. This is how you can ensure 10 000 hours of practice to become a top class mu-
that your community will thrive even in these uncertain times.” sician, 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 musi-
cians 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.”
urbano winter 2009 15
 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 re-
vived performance art here in Perth, and Director
Melanie Bruyer (aka A’dora Derierre, pictured left)
tells us how they have built up a committed audi-
ence 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 encour-
age 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 perform-
ance scene in the near future, and I believe that
burlesque will play a part in this growth.”

Scarlot O’Harlot
Photography by David Woolley
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 think-
ing 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 inde-
pendent 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 Insti-
tute for Contemporary Arts (pica) works to enable
emerging and established artists to achieve their
full potential, and encourages Western Austral-
ians 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 ar-
tistic careers. Featured among the new crop of na-
tional art talent is local artist, Janet Carter. Pictured
right, her installation Oh be men or be more than
men draws analogies between our internal ‘plumb-
ing’, 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 prepar-
ing 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 commu-
nity 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.”

18 urbano winter 2009 urbano winter 2009 19

 A
THE URBANITE FILE s a young Chinese boy growing up in
Northbridge, 83-year-old Bill Chiew
remembers it as a very different place.
Name Bill Chiew Where there are now restaurants
Born Northbridge and bars, there were market gardens
Lives Doubleview and stables, and this spelt opportunity
Works Retired for Bill’s father Timothy, who in 1898 had moved
Loves His sports – baseball, cricket and football 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 Associa-
tion 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 an-
niversary. Bill’s family has an equally long con-
nection, 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.