<
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/apr/26/sydney-powerhouse-a-half-empty-neglected-mess-amid-redevelopment-museum-staff-claim>
"Staff and former board members at Sydney’s Powerhouse allege the museum’s
collections have been neglected and put at risk of damage, as Australia’s
flagship science and technology museum undergoes a controversial $500m
conversion into a commercially driven creative arts and events space.
Guardian Australia has spoken to multiple members of staff who have shared
their concerns that the upkeep on the historic buildings in Ultimo appears to
have been neglected and the quality of programming downgraded in order to
smooth the way for its conversion into what the previous New South Wales
government touted as a “creative industries precinct”.
In addition, staff, former board members and volunteers at the museum have
alleged that objects in the museum had been placed at risk during major
modifications to exhibition spaces and at parties and events held at the site,
and that unrectified leaks in the building had threatened exhibits.
One former Powerhouse board member told the
Guardian the museum had been
reduced to “a half-empty neglected mess”, while a written statement from the
museum board’s former long-serving president, Nick Pappas, accused the former
state government of conducting “a miserable land-grab under the guise of
supporting the cultural needs of western Sydney”, resulting in the “unjustified
and catastrophic destruction of a beloved and award-winning public edifice and
cultural institution”.
In coming weeks, the majority of Powerhouse staff will be relocated from the
Ultimo site to the institution’s storage facility at Castle Hill while a new
Powerhouse museum is built in Parramatta – a $915m project scheduled for
completion in 2025."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
