New City of Sydney Creative Studios in Heart of CBD

Dancers, musicians, film and theatre makers, digital creatives and visual artists will soon have access to a new state-of-the-art production and rehearsal space in the heart of Sydney.

Brand X – one of Sydney’s leading providers of affordable space for artists – will operate the five-storey City of Sydney Creative Studios on Bathurst Street when it opens early next year.

The 2,000 square metre facility is the result of a voluntary planning agreement between the City of Sydney and developer Greenland Australia. The City of Sydney has signed a 99-year lease for the creative studios and engaged Brand X to operate the facility for a three-year term.

The creative studios feature:

• two large double-height rehearsal spaces with sprung timber floors for dancers, actors and other performers

• five soundproof recording and rehearsal studios for musicians

• production and editing suites for filmmakers and new media artists

• wet-dry creative studios for visual artists

• an artist in residence apartment with an attached creative studio

• administration and meeting spaces, dressing rooms and storerooms

• a café in the lobby of the facility.

“It has long been a priority of the City to increase centrally located, affordable space for our artists and creatives,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“This five-storey venue will accommodate creatives in the heart of the city, and help the sector’s recovery from the devasting effects of the pandemic.

“The spaces are designed for a variety of artistic disciplines and artists at different stages in their careers, and to encourage collaboration within our talented creative community. 

“By delivering workspaces and venues we’re not only supporting the arts post-lockdown, but also making our city a more interesting and inspiring place to be.”

Brand X Director James Winter said: “We are thrilled to be appointed as operator of the City of Sydney’s state-of-the-art creative studios in the heart of the CBD. These subsidised purpose-built spaces directly address the needs of independent artists impacted by Sydney’s gentrification and affordability crisis.” 

“Opening in early 2022, the creative studios signify a beacon of hope for the sector, which has demonstrated immense resilience and creativity during the pandemic, in the face of overwhelming industry-wide challenges. 

“Brand X has a longstanding collaborative relationship with the City of Sydney, as operator of the East Sydney Community and Arts Centre in Darlinghurst and creative tenancy manager of live/work apartments in William Street Darlinghurst and above Waterloo Library. We are energised at the prospect of delivering new accessible opportunities for emerging and established artists to enable practice-based experimentation, creative development and production of new work.

“Two of Brand X’s advisory panels, including an Access and Inclusion Panel and Industry Advisory Panel will oversee the selection and incubation of projects at the facility, with a focus on developing new voices from a diverse range of disciplines and backgrounds.”  

City of Sydney Creatives Studios is located at 119 Bathurst Street. 

Final building works and fitout are underway with the facility expected to open in early 2022.

Interested artists, creative practitioners and organisations can register interest in using the new facility. 

To find out more about Brand X, visit brandx.org.au

Image: Paul Patterson / City of Sydney