In 2012, The Glue Society, architects, LAVA, and Will O’Rourke created The Martian Embassy, The Sydney Story Factory’s magical creative writing and storytelling centre in Redfern that fosters the imaginations of marginalized children. A place that is not a classroom, where creativity is allowed to flow freely and volunteer tutors help that creativity to develop.
The Martian Embassy now was a sibling in Sydney’s western suburbs, once again a collaboration between The Glue Society and LAVA. The DreamLab will also transport young kids to a different place and time, leaving their everyday lives behind, in a deliberately untraditional space, worlds away from a classic classroom.
Both not-for-profit initiatives are the brainchild of Australian of the Year recipient, Dr Cath Keenan. The intention for the new centre is to grow the story factory’s ability to unlock the creative potential of a more diverse age range, 7 to 17.
The DreamLab is housed in an 18th century sandstone cottage at 94 George Street, Parramatta, which The Glue Society and LAVA have transformed by combining undulating walls and cavernous warehouse spaces with extraordinary features remaining from the heritage building.
The space is now adorned with futuristic lighting elements and interactive sculpture, presented as strange artefacts from the future. More than just art objects for the space, these also serve as interactive story prompts for writing workshops – promoting creative interpretation over conventional thought.
Technical blueprints of dreamlike creations line the walls, encouraging the children to let their imaginations run wild.
The Glue Society’s Henry Curchod commented, “We wanted to create something bold and timeless for this version of the Story Factory. We arrived at DreamLab because it seemed to fuse imagination with experimentation. The concept allowed us to be inclusive, stimulating and gave rise to plenty of unconventional thinking.”
“The strategy to connect old and new parts of the building was to introduce continuous fluid shapes in floor wall and ceiling that meander through the space and guide the visitor into another world,” added Chris Bosse, director of architecture at LAVA.
The centre opens at a time when literacy and writing-skills in Western Sydney suburbs are substantially below the national average, according to NAPLAN and research demonstrates that quality arts programs can enhance creativity and significantly improve literacy rates and academic engagement.
Credits:
Client: Story Factory Parramatta
Concept & Creative Direction: The Glue Society
Architecture: LAVA
