[category]
[title]
Earlier this month, Western Sydney’s major new museum/ cultural institution/ architectural spectacle confirmed its opening date – with Powerhouse Parramatta set to officially open on Saturday, November 7. Now, the full opening line-up has dropped: with an (unsurprisingly) impressive program spanning art, science, design, engineering and First Nations storytelling. The best bit? Four of the five opening exhibitions will be free, with only Task Eternal (a large-scale love letter to the human art of aviation) ticketed for adults (this one’s still free for under-16s). Across the program, more than 3,000 objects will go on display, including pieces from the Powerhouse Collection and loans from around the world. Here’s what to expect.
The Dark is an immersive exhibition designed for kids aged four to 12, transforming the museum into a mysterious world of bedrooms, crystal tunnels, forests and giants. Created with acclaimed theatre-world heavyweights Kip Williams, Elizabeth Gadsby and Marg Horwell, this one features more than 800 objects, including minerals, First Nations animations and treasures loaned by Western Sydney kids.
Then there’s Es Devlin: The Turning, marking the celebrated British artist’s first major Australian exhibition. Here, five immersive installations will explore everything from biodiversity and human history to the parallels between the trees in our lungs and the forests outside them.
Overflow is a First Nations-led exhibition exploring the importance and care of NSW’s salt and freshwater systems. Developed with seven Aboriginal organisations and filmmaker Ivan Sen, it explores water monitoring, species protection, fishing, flood mitigation, language revitalisation and cultural water rights.
The only pay-to-play exhibition in the opening line-up, Task Eternal, explores humanity’s quest to defy gravity and take flight. Highlights include a historic Qantas aircraft, original Leonardo da Vinci flying-machine drawings, a NASA Moon rock, spacesuits and a new immersive light work by renowned American artist James Turrell.
Finally, The Mall turns its attention to one of Australia’s favourite institutions: the shopping centre. Created with architecture heavyweight OMA/AMO, it explores the evolution and cultural impact of malls, with highlights including Steve Jobs’ iconic Levi’s 501s, warehouse robots and a reimagining of the Roselands Raindrop Fountain.
Keen? You can learn more and plan your visit over here – with more events for opening month expected to be announced soon.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.